Author: Bram Presser

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20 Mar

Posted at 02:46h in News

Absolutely thrilled to let you know that The Book of Dirt has been shortlisted for the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction in the NSW Premier's Literary Awards. And what an honour it is to be sitting alongside incredibly distinguished writers I love and admire. The full shortlist is: Common People by Tony Birch (University of Queensland Press) Seabirds Crying in the Harbour Dark by Catherine Cole (UWA Publishing) Pulse Points: Stories by Jennifer Down (Text Publishing) The Book of Dirt by Bram Presser (Text Publishing) The Restorer by Michael Sala (Text Publishing) Taboo by Kim Scott (Picador) You can read the NSWPLA press release here and see the judge's full citation for The Book of Dirt here. The shortlisting rounds out a couple of fantastic weeks, with great events at Dymocks Camberwell Book Club and The Wheeler Centre. Yours truly with Jodi McAlister and Heather Morris at the Dymocks Camberwell Book Club. The Wheeler Centre Next Big Thing (Imagined Biographies) with Marija Peričić, Kelly Gardiner, some random guy, Joey Bui and Stella Charls....

05 Feb

Posted at 23:39h in News

Apologies for the radio silence - I've been in my usual summer hibernation mode for the past month and a half. Lots to tell, though! The Wheeler Centre just released their new program and I'm excited to be part of The Next Big Thing event on March 19. Come along to hear Marija Pericic, Kelly Gardiner and I chat with Stella Charls about the strange ways fact and fiction collide in our writing. Check out the details and book your free tickets here! The Australian Book Review ran a feature where publishers picked their favourite books of 2017 that weren't published by them, and I was humbled to see Barry Scott from Transit Lounge choose The Book of Dirt. Transit Lounge publish so many books and authors that I admire, so it was a real thrill to round out a great year. Check out the feature here. I also did a great fun interview with Jennifer Wong on ABC Radio National's new arts show, The Hub. For once I wasn't crapping on about my book, but about a book I love and collect obsessively (I have 18 different editions). Put it in your ears here! Another thoughtful (and rather wonderful) review came courtesy of...

19 Dec

Posted at 11:01h in Dig Deeper

In its initial incarnation, The Book of Dirt was to be presented as a "found manuscript". The structure would take the form of Talmudic pages, with a central narrative and surrounding commentaries. I'll be posting a sample page soon, but in the meantime, here's the original prologue. It's kind of embarrassing and overdone in parts, and it's pretty long, but hey, it's also kind of fun. So here goes: A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER ON THE SECOND EDITION OF PRESSER’S “THE BOOK OF DIRT” I first discovered The Book of Dirt while on holiday in the Czech Republic. A colleague had given me a list of her favourite Prague bookstores, literary oases far removed from the throng of tourists that infest the more popular historical sites, and told me that I was to visit any one of them whenever I needed an escape. There are many things to love about these stores, she said, not the least of which is the vast selection of novels by Czech authors that are published by small independent houses and that never find their way to the outside world. She then joked about the tax deductibility of the trip should I happen to acquire one of...

18 Dec

Posted at 21:14h in Dig Deeper

Come back after The Book of Dirt’s release for new developments and further musings on the search for Jakub and Daša, plus exclusive access to extracts from the cutting room floor and answers to some of your more frequently asked questions....

04 Dec

Posted at 05:21h in News

What a couple of weeks! More great reviews in The Age/Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian. Check them out here. That brings review season to something of an end, so I made a little picture pulling them together. I also had an amazing time in Brisbane launching The Book of Dirt at Avid Reader Bookstore. Thanks to Jerath Head from Griffith Review for a thoroughly enjoyable In Conversation, to Chris, Danika and Gareth at 4ZZZ and to everyone who came along. It's one of my last events for the year this Wednesday, at The Bad Diaries Salon. I'll be reading from my unpublished mystery masterpiece *cough cough*, THE RIGHT SNUFF, written when I was twelve and foisted upon my long-suffering English teacher at the time, Ms. Swaitlo. Also reading from their childhood works (well, mostly diaries) will be Jane Rawson, Patrick Allington, Jo Case, and Alice Robinson. Be sure to come along and laugh heartily at our expense. ...

13 Nov

Posted at 08:45h in News

Some great reviews have come in over the past few days from the likes of Australian Book Review, Good Reading Magazine and ANZ LitLovers. Be sure to check them out here. This Wednesday I'll be doing my first solo event, recounting the story behind The Book of Dirt. Come to Port Phillip Library for a session of show and tell, interpretive dance*, self-deprecation, embarrassing stories, little-known and fascinating factoids, not to mention an entire choreographed laser and firework display*. It's free but you'll need to book your spot here. *May not actually include interpretive dance or choreographed laser and firework display....

24 Sep

Posted at 22:02h in News

Last Thursday saw the third instalment in my In Conversation triptych. Thanks to all the wonderful people who came out to listen and extra special thanks to my three interlocutors who were all, in their very different ways, absolutely brilliant and a joy to chat with. Tim Byrne at The Avenue, Elsternwick Tali Lavi at The Jewish Museum of Australia Leah Kaminsky at Readings, Carlton This week I'm taking over the airwaves with chats on 2SER, ABC Radio National, 3AW and 3CR. Links to come. [caption id="attachment_354" align="aligncenter" width="625"] Top: With Tim @ The AvenieBottom Left: With Tali @ The Jewish MuseumBottom Right: With Leah @ Readings[/caption]...

02 Sep

Posted at 07:09h in News

Official publication week for The Book of Dirt has now come and gone, and what a week it was! News came in on Publication Day (August 28) that the book has already gone into reprint. Meanwhile, there were a couple of amazing reviews from Readings Monthly ("Extraordinary") and The Saturday Paper ("A major book") which you can check out here! The Book of Dirt is now available in all good book stores across Australia....

28 Aug

Posted at 12:34h in News

Bram spoke with Nitza Lowenstein on SBS Radio's Hebrew Program this past Sunday about his family, the quest to rescue their stories from the myths that were built around them and the long road to writing The Book of Dirt. If you missed it, check it out here. And don't worry, it's in English....