Show Notes
There used to be a time when political leaders didn’t limit themselves to an election cycle.
In his latest book, Grand Ambition, international affairs expert and historian James Curran draws on never-before-seen archival documents and extensive interviews to present former prime minister Paul Keating’s dynamic, compelling and contested vision for Australia’s role on the world stage.
Listen in as Curran and Keating reflect on the bold politics of the past and ask how we should approach questions of independence, security and identity in these turbulent and unpredictable times.
Hear Paul Keating and James Curran for a fascinating in-depth analysis of Australia’s national identity and its place in the world. This episode was recorded live at a Sydney Writers' Festival event at City Recital Hall in September 2026. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel. Sydney Writers’ Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms. After more? Follow Sydney Writers’ Festival on social media: Instagram: @sydwritersfest Facebook: @SydWritersFest TikTok: @sydwritersfest See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
More from Sydney Writers' Festival
You can take the kid off the stage, but you can’t take the stage off the kid.
Professor of Philosophy and author A.C. Grayling outlines the fragility of democracy and the freedoms we take for granted and risk losing in For The People: Fighting Authoritarianism, Saving Democracy. In recent years, the democratic foundations and civil liberties of Western nations that once seemed unshakeable have been shown to be remarkably fragile – vulnerable to authoritarianism, the whims of the wealthy and powerful and the erosion of civil liberties. As with previous works like Who Owns the Moon? and Discriminations, A.C. interrogates complex political realities and offers bold solutions. Hear from a Festival favourite as he asks the critical questions of our time, followed by a discussion chaired by Nick Bryant (The Forever War) and Rosalind Dixon (The People's Guide to the Australian Constitution). The Future of Democracy series, hosted by Nick Bryant and Rosalind Dixon, is a collaboration between Sydney Writers’ Festival and the Resilient Democracy Lab at UNSW Sydney. This episode was recorded live in May at the 2026 Sydney Writers’ Festival. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel. Sydney Writers’ Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms. After more? Follow Sydney Writers’ Festival on social media:
Dubbed the “undisputed laureate of ordinary lives” by The Sunday Times, Irish Booker Prize winner Roddy Doyle has kept us laughing and crying in equal measure.
After her New York Times bestseller, Writers & Lovers, Lily King returns to themes of love, desire, forgiveness and loss in Heart the Lover.
After being crowned the number one book of the 21st century by ABC Radio National, Australian literary sensation Trent Dalton’s newest book mixes gruesome true crime with a personal exploration of love and marriage. Noah Cork had the scoop of his journalistic career hand-delivered to his mailbox. But his decision to pursue the lead of a cold-blooded killer while the case is still under investigation invites more chaos and destruction into his life than he anticipated. In Gravity Let Me Go, Trent returns to age-old themes of love and family in this story of ambition, truth and deception. Listen in as Trent discusses his latest hit novel with Cassie McCullagh. This episode was recorded live in May at the 2026 Sydney Writers’ Festival. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel. Sydney Writers’ Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms. After more? Follow Sydney Writers’ Festival on social media: Instagram: @sydwritersfest Facebook: @SydWritersFest TikTok: @sydwritersfest See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.