Mark Rubbo
Mark Rubbo is chairman of Readings. He is a past president of the Australian Booksellers Association and was founding chair of the Melbourne Writers Festival. In 2006 he was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia.
Review — 24 Sep 2015
Second Half First by Drusilla Modjeska
Most of us, I imagine, reflect only fleetingly on our lives, and few of us, thank god, do it in print, but when a writer of Drusilla Modjeska’s skill does…
Blog post — 27 Oct 2016
Mark's Say, November 2016
Over a few beers after a brilliant conversation between Stan Grant and Richard Flanagan, the talk naturally moved to politics and football. It was the week before the AFL Grand…
Review — 23 Oct 2016
Press Escape by Shaun Carney
Shaun Carney started his career in journalism as a 20-year-old cadet at Melbourne’s Herald and moved a few years later to the Age. After a 26-year career there, holding…
Blog post — 28 Sep 2016
Mark's Say, October 2016
By the time you read this Readings will be on the brink of having two new shops and a slightly changed Carlton one. I’ve just returned from the first few…
Blog post — 24 Aug 2016
Mark's Say, September 2016
As President Obama’s term comes to an end you get a sense of the wellspring of goodwill toward the President. It’s in stark contrast to Bill Clinton and George Bush…
Blog post — 6 Sep 2016
Today is Indigenous Literacy Day
Today is Indigenous Literacy Day.
Literacy unlocks the keys to learning; without those keys the choices available to children are severely limited. As the world becomes more complex and connected…
Review — 27 Jul 2015
A Guide to Berlin by Gail Jones
I’ve always felt that Gail Jones is yet to receive the recognition she deserves. This is her sixth novel and it is, I believe, a masterpiece. It is a beautifully…
Blog post — 2 Aug 2016
Mark's Say, August 2016
Later this month sees the Melbourne Writers Festival return to Federation Square with a great line up of Australian and International guests. The Festival gets off to a wonderful start…
Blog post — 5 Jul 2016
Mark's Say, July 2016
I was lucky enough to meet Nicola Hill, marketing director for the Penguin Press in the UK, recently. Nicola looks after the wonderful books that come out of the Penguin…
Blog post — 1 Jun 2016
Mark's Say, June 2016
I’ve just been to a book nerd’s paradise, a bookshop called Fang Suo Commune in Chengdu in Sichuan Province, China. Founded by Mao Jihong, owner of high-end fashion label Exception…