Melbourne Reads: Rebecca Giggs

When author Rebecca Giggs encountered a humpback whale stranded on her local beach, she began to wonder how the lives of whales might shed light on the condition of our seas and of our humanity. Fathoms: the world in the whale is a work of profound insight and wonder that blends social, cultural and natural history, philosophy, and ecological science to explore what these awe-inspiring creatures reveal about our collective futures.

The New York Times Book Review called Fathoms a 'delving, haunted, and poetic debut' and it has been named winner of the 2021 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction. Giggs' Fathoms was also recently longlisted for the 2021 Stella Prize.

In this podcast, Giggs joins Artistic Director of the Melbourne Writers Festival, Michaela McGuire, to discuss what it means to write about nature in a time of technological change and ecological crisis.

An expert reading guide prepared by Associate Professor Sara Wills provides provoking discussion questions that you can use with your own book club, students, or friends.

Download the expert reading guide (PDF 265KB)

This project was produced in partnership with:

Melbourne Writers Festival
Melbourne Writers Festival brings writers and readers together to be inspired, challenged and thrilled by an intelligent, rousing and diverse program of books and ideas. Since 1986, the organisation has entertained hundreds of thousands of readers as Australia’s boldest literary festival.

2021 Being Human Festival
Founded in the UK as the only national festival of the humanities, Being Human is now a global celebration dedicated to demonstrating the breadth, diversity and vitality of the humanities.

Explore the full Faculty of Arts international hub program here