Charlotte Wood: 'I don't fear ageing, but I do fear becoming a boring, annoying old person!'
About this episode
Charlotte Wood discusses her writing, the challenges of ageing, and her love for food and friendship.
My guest today is the Australian writer and thinker, Charlotte Wood. Charlotte is the celebrated author of seven novels and three books of non-fiction. I first encountered her with her novel, The Natural Way of Things, which won the Stella Prize (the Australian equivalent of the Women’s Prize) in 2016. Then, my favourite, The Weekend, which follows three women in their 70s as they clear the house of their dead friend over the course of a weekend, became an international bestseller. She followed it up with Booker Prize shortlisted Stone Yard Devotional. In short, In her mid-50s her career became rocket fuelled. But we’re here to talk, amongst other things, about… food. I know right?! Because Charlotte is not just a critically acclaimed writer, she is also an excellent cook. And in Love And Hunger, she writes about the gift of food, friendship and caring through cooking. Charlotte joined me from her home in Sydney to talk about our mutual adoration of the Australian novelist Helen Garner, challenging cultural representations of older women, what to do with old friends and getting diagnosed with cancer at the same time as BOTH her sisters. The lure of the stripped back life, why she…
Topics covered
- ageing
- food
- friendship
- cultural representation
- cancer
- writing
More episodes of The Shift with Sam Baker
- Rachel Eliza Griffiths shares two great loves and two great griefs
- Meera Syal: 'I am now a Triple Bad Bet – Old, Female and Brown!'
- Helen Thorn on how to bounce back from life's shittiest moments
- Jennie Godfrey: 'midlife is a powerful place if you lean into it'
- Jane Green on being a walkaway wife & rebuilding your life in your 50s
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Shift with Sam Baker podcast page.