An Interview with Marion Halligan

Abstract

Marion Halligan has won awards for her novels, essays and short stories. She has published fifteen books including, most recently, the novels The Fog Garden and The Point. Born and raised in the New South Wales industrial coastal city of Newcastle, she moved to the inland national capital, Canberra, in the 1960s. Her first book was published in 1987. While reading The Point, I was strongly reminded of the best work of the great British novelist Iris Murdoch (1919–1999) in many details, but also in the intellectual scope and generous spirit of the novel. I therefore began my interview by asking Halligan about her interest in Murdoch and her influence on The Point in particular.