‘7 ½ felt a little bit like being a young writer again. Physically I can't call myself that (laughs), but in writing 7 ½ I felt that. Like, let's just go by instinct, in a way... 

7 ½ was a way of me trying to think of what it was about being a writer that I enjoyed, what was it that I wanted to do.’ 

The acclaimed author of novels such as The Slap, Damascus and Barracuda, Christos Tsiolkas is known as one of Australia’s most beloved – and provocative – writers. In his latest novel, 7½, a novelist arrives in a secluded coastal town to escape the self-congratulatory moralism of the modern world and immerse himself in the beauty of nature. Here, he begins to write a book about an ageing ex-pornstar offered one last impossible-to-refuse job, and so begins a meditation on the choice between beauty and righteousness.   

In this event at Montalto, Tsiolkas joined Angela Savage for a conversation about the power and transformative mysteries of art, creativity and transgression, as well as the moral crises affecting contemporary fiction. Enjoy a delicious lunch and thought-provoking conversation with a writer whose warmth and insight flows through even his most challenging work.  

This event was recorded on 31 March 2022.

Presented in partnership with Montalto 

Featured music is ‘Greasy’ by Timothy Infinite