The crime of not knowing your crime: Ric Throssell against ASIO

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My grandmother was one of Australia’s greatest novelists, my grandfather won the Victoria Cross for gallantry and my father was hounded all his life as a spy.

This is a three generational story. It’s about my life; it’s about my father, Ric; it’s about my grandparents, the writer Katharine Susannah Prichard and the war hero Hugo Throssell. It’s a study of the psychology of spies and those who obsess about them, a narrative of guilt and innocence told through poetry, prose and historical documents. It’s a tale from another time - but one with obvious relevance, given how regularly governments rely on fear and scapegoating today.

Let me tell you what was done to my family.

Through entwined poetry and prose, Karen Throssell illuminates ASIO’s persecution of her extraordinary family. In the post 9/11 era, too many Australians have forgotten what happened in the Cold War. That’s why this story matters .

Jeff Sparrow, writer and broadcaster