Australia

Nicholas Jose recommends his best Australian novels. For a more general introduction to Australian literature, go to Jose’s Literature of Australia: An Anthology, which he compiled with Thomas Keneally. There are also individually recommended Australian authors such as writers Jane Harper, Peter Temple, Alexis Wright and multi-Booker Prize winner Peter Carey.

If you're a historical fiction fan, Australian authors dominated the 2021 Walter Scott Prize shortlist, with the chair of the judges commenting "If Pip Williams, Kate Grenville and Steven Conte set the standard, we can expect more literary treats to emerge from Australia in the years to come." Indeed the 2023 Walter Scott Prize shortlist included the Australian historical novel The Sun Walks Down.

Elsewhere in nonfiction, Dan Norcross talks about Australian cricket in his best books on cricket and The Cook’s Companion by one of Australia’s most famous cooks, Stephanie Alexander, is recommended by two of our interviewees.  The Australian environmental philosopher, Denise Russell, chooses her best books on the sea. And David Cannadine chooses his best books on the British Empire.

Several other Australian experts have given us their top book choices including philosopher Peter Singer introducing us to nineteenth-century of philosophy books, author James Bradley on climate change novels and economist John Quiggin recommends books for learning about economics.