Join us for a special event with acclaimed New Delhi-based author Geetanjali Shree, in conversation with Dr Mridula Nath Chakraborty.

Winner of the 2022 International Booker Prize and the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation for her novel Tomb of Sand, Shree made literary history as the first author writing in Hindi - or any Indian language - to receive the International Booker Prize.⁠

Confronting the experiences of Partition, Tomb of Sand also explores what it means to be a mother, a daughter, a woman and a feminist. The novel was shortlisted for the 2021 Emile Guimet Prize for Asian Literature and received the 2025 Luna Virino International Award.

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary international literature, celebrated for her innovative use of language and structure.

In association with The Wheeler Centre, Byron Writers Festival and Sydney Writers’ Festival.

Register to attend this event either in-person or to watch the live-stream online.

READ MORE AND REGISTER FOR THIS FREE EVENT

You are welcome to view our exhibition, Artists On The Inside, showing in the Kerry Packer Civic Gallery prior to the event.

Who We Are Becoming in the 21st Century Join us for a compelling discussion with George Megalogenis as he unpacks Three Shocks: Who We Are Becoming in the 21st Century. In conversation with journalist Tory Shepherd, George will explore how the federal elections of 2022 and 2025 were an overdue wake-up call to three shocks that have reshaped our national identity:

For the first time since federation, we have a population that’s majority migrants and their children. Professional women are now the largest segment of the workforce, replacing blue-collar men. On the world stage, both our allies and our key trade partners have proven unreliable. In an era defined by uncertainty and possibility, what do these shocks mean for our political landscape? Which forces are driving change, and how are political leaders responding? George sheds light on the strategies, debates and decisions that will shape the nation’s future.

Imprints Booksellers will be selling copies of Three Shocks: Who We Are Becoming in the 21st Century in the Auditorium foyer on the night of the event.

Presented by The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre