When did you first write for ABR?

1981, during John McLaren’s incumbency as editor.

What prompted you to take up book reviewing?

Well, it took me up, really. It hadn’t occurred to me to review books until I was invited to write a piece for a journal called Prospect at Melbourne University. A long hiatus ensued during my school teaching years, but when I moved to Flinders University I began reviewing for the Advertiser, The Age, The Australian, and Australian Book Review. Invitations to review fiction, non-fiction, and some books on sport then became fairly frequent, and when the reborn Adelaide Review appeared I regularly reviewed for it.

While becoming a reviewer was not the result of a conscious decision, I continued to review because I enjoyed writing about books and their authors and I liked the process of learning how to do it.