Nicholas Hasluck

In Print and Prize, Nicholas Hasluck gives a graphic account of his work as Chair of the Commonwealth Writers' Prize.At literary festivals in far places, such as Delhi, Colombo, Treasure Beach in Jamaica and Franschhoek in South Africa, he explored vital contemporary issues, from post-colonial critiques to debates about truth-telling, national identity and role of the monarchy. Encounters with writers and colourful scenes along the way add spice to his story.The author studied law in Perth, then Oxford, before serving as a judge of the Supreme Court of Western Australia. A winner of The Age Book of the Year Award, he has written 14 novels and various books casting light on the relationship between law and literature.

A contemporary artist is out to win a portrait prize by sketching a Che Guevara rebel from the old Australian colony in Paraguay. The artist’s brother is troubled by doubts about the rebel’s heroic identity and feels obliged to investigate.Set largely in South America, the novel explores divergent approaches to the truth in the wilds of Bolivia where Che sought to ignite a widespread revolution. The investigation ends in Sydney where Che’s ambitious dreams are still revered and the prize will soon be awarded. The counter-factual mysteries to be unravelled mirror South America’s own ingenious literary form, magic realism, a form reflecting the post-modern world’s richly-imagined but often bizarre perceptions.