In Conversation with Peter Carey

Twenty-five years ago, acclaimed Australian author Peter Carey penned his tour de force True History of the Kelly Gang – a fictional autobiography of Australia’s most notorious bushranger, Ned Kelly. It went on to win the Booker Prize and cement Carey’s place as one of the country’s literary greats.  

Hear from Carey direct from New York as he joins host Michael Williams (editor of The Monthly) for an exclusive online interview about his creative practice. Carey sheds light on how he wrote the multi-award-winning novel, recalling the thousand days it took to write and the decades of inspiration behind it.   

He also discuss his work currently on display in the Library’s Creative Acts exhibition, which includes 4000 pages of his draft manuscripts, notebooks and research materials. 

About Peter Carey  

Peter Carey is the award-winning author of more than 20 novels, short stories and screenplays. Since 1990 he has lived in New York, where he taught creative writing for more than 2 decades. He has won the Booker Prize twice, and the Miles Franklin Prize 3 times. 

State Library Victoria holds the Peter Carey Collection, which includes thousands of his manuscript pages, notebooks, research materials, photographs, emails and the laptop on which True History of the Kelly Gang was written. 

About Michael Williams  

Michael Williams is editor of The Monthly and host of books podcast Read This. He’s former CEO of the Wheeler Centre, Artistic Director of Sydney Writers’ Festival and a long-standing literary broadcaster, commentator and editor.