Literary Sydney

Over the past 200 years, Sydney has nurtured and inspired some of Australia’s leading writers, as well as providing a home for a galaxy of literary stars that include Patrick White, the only Australian to win the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Writers’ blocks

• Newtown has a swag of stories to tell, and some famous Australian writers have told them. Henry Lawson, Henry Kendall and Ethel Turner are just some off the writers who lived here, and King Street has several notable bookshops. Better Read than Dead, Gould’s Book Arcade and Elizabeth’s Bookshop are two of the standouts. 
• Kings Cross  was known as a bohemian quarter of the city with a free-wheeling reputation, home and inspiration for many prominent writers Including Judith Wright, Kenneth Slessor, Charmian Clift and George Johnston. Try Bugdens Bookshop for second-hand and antiquarian books.
• Balmain has long been known as a literary enclave, home at various times to David Williamson, Peter Carey and Frank Moorehouse, who fictionalised the suburb in many of his stories. Brays Books and The Feminist Bookshop are key to Balmain’s tastes.

Don’t miss

• May Gibbs’ “Nutcote”, a harbourside villa tucked away in a quiet back street of Neutral Bay, a frozen-in-time monument to Gibbs and Blossom, the Bull Dog Ant, Mr Lizard and those horrid Banksia Men. 
• Circular Quay Writers' Walk Brass plaques set into the pavement commemorate some of the literary luminaries associated with Sydney, including Peter Carey, Germaine Greer, Joseph Conrad and Mark Twain.
• Berkelouw Books is the place to browse for anything antiquarian or out-of-print. Paddington, Leichhardt and Newtown stores all have cafes with well padded chairs - bibliophile bliss.
• Camperdown Cemetery at the back of St Stephens Church contains the gravestone of Eliza Donnithorne, a jilted spinster and possibly the model for Charles Dickens’ embittered Miss Havisham in Great Expectations.

Events

• The City of Sydney’s libraries have a year-round program of literary events and authors’ talks at its Customs House headquarters and various branch libraries.
• Gleebooks Events, one of Sydney’s premier bookshops hosts readings with visiting authors as well as book launches throughout the year. 
• The Hughenden Hotel in Paddington hosts frequent creative writers’ events including book launches, literary dinners and readings. 
• The State Library of NSW's “talk” program brings together like-minded readers to discuss a popular book of literary fiction each month.