Australian novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist Helen Garner first came to prominence in 1997 with her novel Monkey Grip (later adapted to a feature film), and gained widespread acclaim for her 1982 short novel, The Children's Bach.
She is also the author of a number of non-fiction books including The First Stone: Some Questions about Sex and Power, an account of a 1992 sexual harassment scandal at Ormond College, and Joe Cinque's Consolation from 2004, about the manslaughter of a Canberra engineer.
Her new book, her first for 15 years, is The Spare Room (published by Text), a fictional treatment of caring for a dying cancer patient.
Kim Hill talks to Helen Garner about death and friendship.
