In the year 2000, an Australian woman travels to the Hague to work as the secretary for an Australian judge. There, she sits through the trial of a former military man who has been charged with war crimes. As the trial proceeds, she is confronted with two conflicting impulses: being deeply affected by the testimonyContinue reading “Out of the Woods”
Author Archives: gretchenshirm
The Crying Room on ABC Breakfast News
The Crying Room was mentioned on ABC News Breakfast along with Colson Whitehead, Claire Kilroy and Emily Perkins.
The Crying Room Launch
The Crying Room was launched on 6 July 2023 at Ariel Books by the excellent novelist and critic James Bradley, whose books Clade and Ghost Species you should definitely read. Please enjoy these photos taken by my husband Julien Klettenberg.
The Crying Room
Buy The Crying Room here. Shortlisted for the 2024 Christina Stead Prize for Fiction. ‘Deeply rewarding. Shirm dances with a light step across the delicate territory between laughing and weeping.’ Helen Garner ‘Deft, original and clever; this novel unfolds a drama of family distance, kindness and the surprising endurance of love.’ Gail Jones ‘Reminiscent ofContinue reading “The Crying Room”
‘The Closure Company’ in Griffith Review’s ‘States of Mind’
I am very pleased to have my short story ‘The Closure Company’ appearing in Griffith Review‘s issue 72, ‘States of Mind’ https://www.griffithreview.com/articles/the-closure-company/ I’m thrilled that the story appears alongside some excellent work from Kathryn Heyman, Lech Blaine, Vicki Laveau-Harvie, Loki Liddle amongst others. ‘States of Mind’ is on sale now. Or better yet, subscribe toContinue reading “‘The Closure Company’ in Griffith Review’s ‘States of Mind’”
New story ‘Porcelain’ in Overland
I am so pleased that my story ‘Porcelain’ from my novel in stories The Crying Room, is published in the current issue of Overland. You can read it and the other excellent essays, stories and poetry by buying issue 240, or online here: https://overland.org.au/previous-issues/issue-240/ Or better still, subscribe and a beautiful copy of Overland willContinue reading “New story ‘Porcelain’ in Overland”
Start to Write
I will be teaching a ‘Start to Write’ course through Faber Academy at Allen & Unwin on 10, 11 and 12 November 2020. The course will run in the evening from 6.30pm to 8.30pm and will be offered online. For details and booking, visit the Faber Academy website here.
‘The Crying Room’ in KYD New Australian Fiction
I’m a bit late with this, but my short story ‘The Crying Room’ was published in last year’s Kill Your Darling’s New Australian Fiction Anthology. The Anthology has since gone into reprint, yippee! You can purchase a copy at your favourite local bookshop, or here: https://www.killyourdarlings.com.au/shop/new-australian-fiction-2019/ When the Anthology was reviewed in The Australian onContinue reading “‘The Crying Room’ in KYD New Australian Fiction”
Helen Garner’s Collected Stories
Helen Garner’s Postcards from Surfers was a revelation to me when I started writing. The silences within her stories are so bold and radical, it really showed me that writing is as much about what is on the page as what’s left off it. The book also contains one of my favourite sentences ofContinue reading “Helen Garner’s Collected Stories”
My review of Nicole Krauss’s Forest Dark appeared in The Age and Sydney Morning Herald over the weekend and can be read, here. Reading Forest Dark, was one of the most disorientating experiences I’ve ever had reading a book. For much of the time, I found the book difficult to read, the prose leaden and quiteContinue reading
Gretchen Shirm 