Amitav Ghosh – In Conversation

An incomparable storyteller, lucid analyst and eloquent polemicist, acclaimed writer Amitav Ghosh’s rich body of fiction and non-fiction work has shaped our contemporary understanding of history and the environment. 

In this special event, Amitav reflects on his career and range of bestselling books including the Ibis trilogy, ground-breaking non-fiction in The Great Derangement and The Nutmeg’s Curse and his newest novel Ghost-Eye, set in 1960s Calcutta.  

Explore the themes of history, post-colonialism and environmentalism behind his ongoing work, in conversation with Michael Williams. 

Amitav Ghosh 

Amitav Ghosh was born in India and attended Delhi University and Oxford. He is the author of four books of non-fiction, two collections of essays and nine novels. His books have won many prizes and he holds eight honorary doctorates. In 2018 he became the first English-language writer to receive India’s highest literary honor, the Jnanpith Award. His work has also been recognised by the Erasmus Prize and the Pak Kyongni Prize. His latest publication is Ghost-Eye: A Novel.  

Michael Williams 

Michael Williams is the editor of The Monthly. He was previously the artistic director of Sydney Writers’ Festival. He has spent the past decade at the Wheeler Centre for Books, Writing and Ideas in Melbourne as its founding Head of Programming in 2009 and then as its Director from September 2011. A regular host and interviewer for literary and ideas events around Australia – including a long-standing association with Sydney Writers’ Festival – his background is in publishing and broadcasting. He has hosted two shows on ABC Radio National – Blueprint for Living (2015–2016) and Talkfest (2017–2018) – was a regular on ABC TV’s The Book Club and remains a regular guest on ABC radio and TV. Michael has also worked as a breakfast presenter for Melbourne’s 3RRR, as a member of the Australia Council’s Literature Board, in publishing in Australia and New York and has written extensively for The Guardian, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and elsewhere. He is currently also host of Guardian Australia’s monthly book club.