Professor George Williams AO is the Vice-Chancellor and President at Western Sydney University. He commenced as Western Sydney University’s fifth Vice-Chancellor in July 2024, bringing decades of experience as a constitutional law scholar and teacher, senior leader in higher education, barrister and as a national thought leader. His latest book with David Hume is People Power: How Australian referendums are lost and won (UNSW Press, 2024).

If you could go anywhere tomorrow, where would it be, and why?

To Western Sydney University! It is a bit sad I know, but I have just started as vice-chancellor and am thrilled to make a difference. Education changed my life, and I want that for others. There is no better place to achieve this, as two-thirds of our students are the first in their family to go to university and we have the highest number of low SES students in Australia.

What is your idea of hell?

A slow afternoon shopping for clothes.

What do you consider the most specious virtue?

Modesty. If you have something to be proud of, share it.

What’s your favourite film?

That is a tough one! By a nose, it would be the Lord of the Rings trilogy (extended editions of course) over the original Star Wars trilogy (not to be confused with the prequels or the very disappointing sequels).

And your favourite book?

I do not usually like reading books a second time, but there are a few I come back to every few years. One is Earth Abides, a 1949 American post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by George R. Stewart. It is a forgotten classic that details the decline of civilisation after a worldwide plague.

Name the three people with whom you would most like to dine, historical or contemporary.

I would love to get J.R.R. Tolkien together with movie director Peter Jackson and screenwriter Fran Walsh. I suspect a bit of tension in the room over the adaptation of the Lord of the Rings novels and would love to see the reaction.

Which word do you most dislike, and which one would you like to see back in public usage?

Restaurant. It has nothing to do with the word itself, but I always struggle to spell it, going back to the fact that I paid so little attention to spelling in school. Thankfully, my dreadful aptitude for spelling has been made up for by good dictation systems. They have saved my writing career. ‘Forsooth’ deserves a comeback. It rolls off the tongue nicely.

Who is your favourite author?

George R.R. Martin would have got the nod for his Game of Thrones novels, but I have been waiting thirteen years for the next book, and that takes him down several notches. My favourite of all time is Stephen R. Donaldson. I love his willingness to subvert our expectations of fantasy in the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, and his science-fiction Gap series is breathtaking. His capacity to ratchet up the tension and reader engagement with complex characters and intricate plots is exactly what I look for at the end of the day.

And your favourite literary hero or heroine?

I cannot go past the true and loyal Samwise Gamgee.

Which quality do you most admire in a writer?

Brevity.

Which book influenced you most in your youth?

The Lord of the Rings.

Name an early literary idol or influence whom you no longer admire – or vice versa.

Jane Austen’s novels have never appealed to me, but I loved the recent mash-up, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

Do you have a favourite podcast?

The Daily by The New York Times

What, if anything, impedes your writing?

These days it is time. I had this in spades as an academic, but it declined precipitously when I became dean and then deputy vice-chancellor, and now has completely disappeared as vice-chancellor. My days as an author of books may now be over. My latest is my forty-third book, so it has not been a bad run.

What qualities do you look for in critics?

Engaging fairly with my writing and bringing something new and surprising to the table.

How do you find working with editors?

I am constantly impressed with their ability to point out errors and problems that I have somehow missed. I have been fortunate to work with wonderful editors across a range of publishers, especially UNSW Press and Federation Press.

What do you think of writers’ festivals?

They are such great fun. It is a privilege to engage directly with readers and to hear their take on your work. They also bring in energy that can be inspiring.

Are artists valued in our society?

Not as much as they should be.

What are you working on now?

I am learning on the job as a newly minted vice-chancellor. I am advocating on behalf of our students, including to do away with the unfair and highly damaging $50,000 cost of Arts degrees. The world needs more writers and philosophers.  g