Helen Garner: 'Feminism came like a bombshell into my life'

Appearing at Guardian Australia’s Zoom book club, the author reflected on mortality, kindness and her second volume of diaries, One Day I’ll Remember This

• Guardian Australia’s book club happens monthly on Zoom, hosted via Australia at Home
• Read an extract from One Day I’ll Remember This

How does it feel to be Helen Garner, one of Australia’s most respected authors, having published not one but two volumes of her very personal diaries? “It feels like my guts are hanging out on the clothesline,” the author said.

In a thoughtful and frank discussion with Michael Williams as part of Guardian Australia’s monthly book club, hosted over Zoom in partnership with Australia At Home and Sydney writers’ festival, Garner delved into topics of regret, reader backlash and the anxieties she felt in poring over her scribbled-down past to make it ready for public consumption.

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