Adelaide Writers' Week Adds Two New Authors in Line-Up Change

Prize-winning novelist Michael Sala and critically acclaimEd French-Australian author Catherine de Saint Phalle have been added to the line-up for 2017 Adelaide Writers' Week, running Saturday March 4 to Thursday March 9 as part of the 2017 Adelaide Festival.

They replace Chilean poet and novelist Alejandro Zambra and Australian journalist and writer Julia Baird, who have both had to withdraw from the event due to illness.

Newcastle author Sala comes to Adelaide Writers' Week with his new novel The Restorer, of which award winning South Australian author Hannah Kent said "I would defy anyone to read this story and remain unmoved", while de Saint Phalle comes with her Stella long-listed memoir Poum and Alexandre: A Paris Memoir, described by the Sydney Morning Herald as "a work that deserves to become a classic".

They join a stellar line-up of 86 poets, playwrights, novelists, historians, biographers, scientists, feminists, journalists and more from Australia, the US, the UK, Canada, Ireland, Mexico, Cuba, Korea, Iceland, New Zealand, Indonesia and Germany for six days of free open air readings and literary conversation in Adelaide's stunning Pioneer Women's Memorial Garden.

Michael Sala was born in the Netherlands to a Greek father and a Dutch mother, and first came to Australia in the 1980s. His critically acclaimed debut, The Last Thread, won the 2013 NSW Premier's Award for New Writing and was the regional winner (Pacific) of the 2013 Commonwealth Book Prize. His new novel, The Restorer, tells the story of a married couple's attempts to rebuild a life together in an intimate and haunting story about the frailty of family.

Melbourne author Catherine de Saint Phalle is the author of the critically acclaimed On Brunswick Ground, which was published both here in Australia and her native France, where she has also been published by Actes Sud, Buchet/Chastel and Sabine Wespieser Editeur. Her memoir about her parents and her early life in Paris, Poum and Alexandre: A Paris Memoir, is her first work of non-fiction.

Now in its sixth year under the direction of Laura Kroetsch, Adelaide Writers' Week is a free event, giving writers, readers and lovers of literature a chance to spend a week immersed in stories and experiences. The program guide is available free of charge, and can be collected from all good bookshops and participating newsagents and libraries across Adelaide or downloaded from the Adelaide Festival website adelaidefestival.com.au.

Please see below for the new session details, and attached media release for the full list of writers attending the 2017 event.

ADELAIDE WRITERS' WEEK 2017
Pioneer Women's Memorial Garden, King William Road, Adelaide
Sat 4 Mar - Thurs 9 Mar
Kids' Weekend: Sat 4 Mar and Sun 5 Mar
FREE - no bookings required

2017 ADELAIDE WRITERS' WEEK NEW SESSION DETAILS

Saturday, March 4 at 1.15pm
Invisible Histories: Armando Lucas Correa and Peter Ho Davies
Sometimes when thinking about history, the best place to go is fiction. This session brings together two novelists who explore historic moments in the unexpected ways. In Armando Lucas Correa's The German Girl, a lost moment of Cuba's role in the World War II is recovered. In his novel The Fortunes, Peter Ho Davies uses four characters from history to explore Chinese immigration. Join them for a conversation about invisible histories with Michael Williams.

Tuesday, March 7 at 10.45am
On Family: Caroline Baum and Catherine de Saint Phalle
In Caroline Baum's Only and Catherine de Stain Phalle's Poum and Alexandre we are introduced to European families in the aftermath of World War II. Both memoirs are told by lonely children growing up with eccentric parents traumatised by the war. Both explore the melancholy running beneath privileged lives and the ways in which children continue to love. Join these two gifted writers as they discuss family, legacy and place.

Tuesday March 7 at 2.30pm
Michael Sala
With his new novel, The Restorer, award-wining novelist Michael Sala explores a faltering marriage hoping for a second change. Set in a derelict house by the sea, the novel tells the story of a husband dedicated to salvaging the house, and his wife who is, at first, hopeful, while their daughter remains unconvinced from the start. The Restorer is an intimate portrayal of damaged souls trapped by history, beautiful rendered. Join him in conversation with Geordie Williamson.

Wednesday, March 8 at 9.30am
The Real Jane Austen: Paula Byrne
Join celebrated biographer Paula Byrne for a talk about beloved literary figure Jane Austen. Byrne is the author of a number of books on Jane Austen including The Real Jane Austen and The Genius of Jane Austen. Her talk will cover both the objects that illuminated Austen's life as well as her long relationship with the theatre. This session is a must-see for those who share Byrne's fascination with Austen and her world, as well as those who wonder how it is that she has come to occupy such a prominent place in the world of contemporary literature.

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