The Getting Lit Podcast

This week, we discuss the recently departed Australian author, David Malouf. Specifically, his book Remembering Babylon, a strange novel that starts out with a castaway British boy being raised by Aboriginal Australians, and unfurls into something much more mysterious and enigmatic. We talk about historical fiction, how Australian racial history has been Americanised, as well as how colonial history in Australia is often framed (spoiler alert: too often, it is boring!).As mentioned in this episode, Fresta is selling some records on ebay if you want to take a look:https://www.ebay.com.au/usr/bukhgalter?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=705-154756-20017-0&ssspo=sYVxtJU5TYu&sssrc=4675625&ssuid=sYVxtJU5TYu&stype=1&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPYAlso referenced in this episode, Jack Norman’s (THINGOL on Substack) new short story, which also touches on similar themes to Malouf’s work: https://theboroughpoetry.com/2026/06/21/moonlight-upon-our-given-fates/Paid subscribers now have two options. You can support us either on Substack (here) or on Patreon (here) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newmythologies.substack.com/subscribe

Send us a textThis week, we're joined by Andrew Edwards, the author of the new psychedelic noir thriller, Crowbar. We had a great conversation ranging over the book's many interesting contours, from conspiracy culture, the influence of James Ellroy and Cormac McCarthy, and much much more.Buy Andrew's book here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FZ93M9GBMusic: Part Cherokee by Nudge SquidfishSupport the show This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newmythologies.substack.com/subscribe

Send us a textHere is a sneak peek of our series on Fyodor Dostoyevsky's classic novel of revolutionary violence, Demons. All three parts are available in full on Patreon.Go to https://www.patreon.com/c/GettingLit to listen.Support the show This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newmythologies.substack.com/subscribe

Send us a textThis is part 2 of our Philip K. Dick collaboration with the Rare Candy podcast. Head over to their feed for part 1 (https://open.spotify.com/show/2cXVcvC3G13PGUuYMVLGZb), where we cover The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch (1965), before joining us here for the continuation of "Dick Week" as we discuss Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said (1974).In this novel, Jason Taverner, a genetically engineered celebrity talk-show host, wakes up one morning to discover he has been erased from the world. His identification records vanish, no one recognises him, and in a hyper-surveilled police-state America—where IDs are everything—this is effectively a death sentence. This noirish typically Dickian story goes in unexpected places. Just like this discussion!Also, as an extra treat for our paid subscribers, we have a mini-episode on Patreon where we horse around with Glen and Psi. Go to patreon.com/gettinglit to listen.Support the show This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newmythologies.substack.com/subscribe

Send us a textIn this week's episode, the legendary Bruce Wagner joins us to discuss his new novel Amputation, inspired by the 2025 Los Angeles fires. The conversation moves from the book’s genesis in anger at bureaucratic incompetence to Wagner’s reflections on art, rage, and the sacred. We discuss how indignation can be transformed into creative energy without devolving into polemic, his long-standing use of real public figures in fiction, and his resistance to censorship and “cultural bureaucrats.” The discussion broadens into questions of artistic integrity, nihilism, and compassion; the corrosion of civic responsibility; and how modern fame, selfhood, and delusion intertwine. We also meditate on impermanence, artificial intelligence, and the dissolution of self in art, positioning AI as both a creative threat and a spiritual mirror. And much more. Join us for one of our favorite episodes ever!Buy Amputation here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1648211615?&tag=skyhorsepub-20Music:Because We Built It, John MausSupport the show This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newmythologies.substack.com/subscribe

Send us a text*this is a PREVIEW. To listen to the full episode, go to patreon.com/GettingLitThis episode, Fresta and Sini riff on Fresta's Sydney trip, thrift shop book finds, Bret Easton Ellis, the fantastic Australian crime show Mr Inbetween, ABC Radio National's Top 100 books of the 21st Century, and much more. To find out why this episode has this title, you will have to wait until the end.Support the show This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newmythologies.substack.com/subscribe

Send us a textThis week, a big episode discussing a slim novel. We're joined by a couple of our favourite Southerners (Kalob Petty and Banjer Jack) and our favourite Montanan (Ryan Simón) to chat about Carson McCullers' classic Southern Gothic novel about repressed eros and dark desires, Reflections in a Golden Eye. We talk about the Southern Gothic tradition, why Southerners are so chill, why Carson McCullers was likely a f@g hag, horse girls, music, and much more.This episode quickly turns into a rollicking bull session, full of hilarious tales, forbidden confessions, and...banjo. Lots of banjo.Music:Southern Blood, Kalob PettySammie Where You Been So Long, Banjer JackLinks to Kalob's music: https://linktr.ee/kalobdpettyRyan's American Vulgaria: https://americanvulgaria.com/Support the show This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newmythologies.substack.com/subscribe

Send us a textJack Norman is the author of the new short story collection Sleep Capricorn, coming in October from Bonfire Books. Like Fresta and Sini, he also grew up in North Queensland. This episode features three northerners yarning about Jack's fiction, as well as fatherhood, Australian fiction in general, The Honourable Member for Kennedy Bob Katter, craft discussions on narration, and writing literary fiction as a gamer/Tolkien fan.Pre-order Jack incredible collection from Bonfire Books here: https://bonfirebooks.org/product/sleep-capricorn-by-jack-norman-pre-order/Follow Jack on X: https://x.com/Thingol2006Music: The N.W.R.A (Live), The FallSupport the show This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newmythologies.substack.com/subscribe