HEART & SOUL with DAVID LESER

Ep 6 Geraldine Brooks: Grief is the Debt that is Paid to Love

Having travelled the world covering conflict zones, Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Geraldine Brooks turned her considerable observation skills to novel writing after deciding to become a mother whilst in a Nigerian prison. When her husband, an acclaimed journalist himself, died suddenly on a book tour, she had to entirely re-frame her life, as well as meet the looming deadline for her bestselling novel Horse.

About the guest
Australian-born Geraldine Brooks is an acclaimed author, journalist and parent whose writing has captivated readers around the world. Raised in Sydney, she began her career at The Sydney Morning Herald before winning a scholarship to Columbia University and joining The Wall Street Journal, where she reported from conflict zones across the Middle East, Africa and the Balkans. Her reporting earned international recognition, including the Overseas Press Club Award.

Brooks won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2006 for March. Her novels Year of Wonders, People of the Book, Caleb’s Crossing, The Secret Chord and Horse have become international bestsellers, while her nonfiction explores history, home and the lives of women. Her latest memoir, Memorial Days, reflects on grief, love and family following the sudden death of her husband, fellow journalist Tony Horwitz, in 2019.

Credits
Host: David Leser — Director: Ian Darling — Camera and lights: Ben Cunningham, Harry Kielly, Tiernan Rennie — Sound: Andy Gordon — Front of House: Sarah Butler — Photography: Harry Kielly — Editors: Sally Fryer and Harry Kielly