Peter Papathanasiou was born in northern Greece in 1974 and adopted as a baby to an Australian family. His debut novel, a work of crime fiction, was published in 2021 as The Stoning by Transit Lounge (Australia). Peter’s writing has otherwise been published by The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, The Seattle Times, The Guardian UK, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Good Weekend, ABC and SBS. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from City, University of London; a Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Sciences from The Australian National University (ANU); and a Bachelor of Laws from ANU specialising in criminal law.
Today, Peter Papathanasiou is on the blog to take on our Ten Terrifying Questions! Read on …
Peter Papathanasiou
1. To begin with, why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself – where were you born? Raised? Schooled?
I was born in Florina, which is a small mountain town in northern Greece, in 1974. As a baby, I was adopted to a family living in Australia, where I was raised as an only child. I went to public schools in Canberra and enjoyed a loving, ordinary suburban life as a bookish but active kid. It wasn’t until 1999, at the start of my PhD in biomedical sciences at ANU, that I discovered the truth behind my adoption, which seemed to tear my life in two. I later journeyed to Greece to meet my biological family, which included two older brothers. I wrote about all these experiences in my debut book published in 2019 as Little One by Allen & Unwin (ANZ).
I think it was pretty ironic that I was studying genetics and yet discovered that my own genetics were not as I had expected! At university, I also completed a Bachelor of Laws degree from ANU and a Master of Arts in creative writing from City, University of London. The latter was where I worked on my debut novel The Stoning, which is published in October 2021 by Transit Lounge (Australia) and MacLehose Press (UK).
2. What did you want to be when you were twelve, eighteen and thirty? And why?
It’s a bit hard to remember now, but when I was twelve, I probably wanted to be a writer! By eighteen, that had changed to an economist or lawyer, and then by thirty had changed again to a scientist. The deeper I got into my schooling, the more hardcore the subjects became, and the more I left my childhood imagination behind. But I am grateful to have finally reconnected in my thirties and forties, a process which all began with a creative writing course at The New School in New York City in 2006. I was a little burnt out on work at the time and it was incredibly uplifting and motivating to immerse myself in such a literary city amid a class of budding authors.
3. What strongly held belief did you have at eighteen that you don’t have now?
That school grades and academic achievement were the most important things to set you on the path for career success.
4. What are three works of art – this could be a book, painting, piece of music, film, etc – that influenced your development as a writer?
I’ll pick one book, one film and one album to avoid playing favourites!
I am especially inspired by the late Peter Temple, who died in 2018. He was the first Australian crime writer to win the Gold Dagger in 2007 for The Broken Shore. In a first for a crime novel, Temple’s Truth then won Australia’s most prestigious literary prize, the Miles Franklin, in 2010. But it was The Broken Shore that I read first and was most influenced by. In The Stoning, my secondary main character – an outback cop named Constable Andrew “Sparrow” Smith – is actually an intentional doff of the cap to Temple and his own Indigenous cop character named Paul Dove.
A film that I always remember being influenced by was the 1997 Italian feature Life is Beautiful, directed by Roberto Benigni. To me, it had all the elements of unparalleled storytelling: comedy and drama, history and family, hope and the human spirit. It was charming, compelling and tragic, but ultimately life-affirming. I aspire to implement as many of those aspects in my own storytelling, and leave readers with a story that lingers long in their minds.
Lastly, the 1994 album Grace by Jeff Buckley. It was the sole album completed in his lifetime, and released when he was just 27 years old. He died three years later. Successfully blending elements from rock, folk, jazz, punk and poetry, it’s music that makes your spirit soar. I was fortunate to see Buckley in concert in 1996, and later lived on St. Mark’s Place in NYC’s East Village, which was home to Sin-é, the club that launched his career. I love Buckley’s response when he was asked about the cover art for Grace; the record company didn’t approve of his photo choice, but Buckley insisted “because I can tell I’m listening to music in that shot.”
5. Considering the many artistic forms out there, what appeals to you about writing a novel?
I like the storytelling aspect of a novel. Storytelling is an innate human activity, and something we nurture from a young age as children. It connects us, this desire to weave a narrative. We feel less alone in the world with stories, they speak to our hearts, to our desire to be taken on a journey. I think films do that too, visually, while music is something that comes with a harmony and can even transcend language. But for me, I’ve always enjoyed playing with the basic building block that is a word: writing it on a page, then writing another, and moving them around into the best position. To me, I really see it as a form of art, almost like painting or sculpture.
‘Storytelling is an innate human activity, and something we nurture from a young age as children. It connects us, this desire to weave a narrative. We feel less alone in the world with stories, they speak to our hearts, to our desire to be taken on a journey.’
6. Please tell us about your latest novel!
The Stoning is a work of outback noir, which is a modern marketing term for crime fiction set in the Aussie bush. It features Detective Sergeant George Manolis as the central protagonist, and is the first in a new series. Manolis travels to the outback town of Cobb to investigate the shocking death of a local school teacher. The community is simmering with anger and resentment at the opening of a new immigration detention centre. White skin, black skin, brown skin – everyone is a suspect. It ends up as a dangerous investigation of lies, secrets and silence, and an insight into the heart of a country intent on gambling with its soul.
7. What do you hope people take away with them after reading your work?
While my intention, first and foremost, was to write a compelling crime novel inspired by the vast Australian outback, I also wanted to write something that was more than a whodunit. A whodunit thread can help propel a plot, but mine was designed as a springboard to launch into an exploration of characters and their worlds. Through the prism of an atrocious crime, my aim was to present readers – nationally and internationally – with some important issues, which I hope they take away with them after reading The Stoning. It is a novel that tries to speak to the world from the island continent down under, and the depths of its vast and ruthless outback. This is not a story of which Australia will be proud, but which I feel must be told.
8. Who do you most admire in the writing world and why?
Rather than name any one individual (because it is so impossibly hard), I will instead name a group: debut authors. These writers are worthy of all our admiration because of how hard it is to break through with your first book. Having been there myself, I know the rollercoaster ride that is the path to publication and how many obstacles must be overcome. This is perhaps why I seek out so many debut authors as a reader: to both acknowledge their incredible efforts, and read the words that would have been so painstakingly crafted in debuting their writing voice to the world.
9. Many artists set themselves very ambitious goals. What are yours?
My goal as an author is to be able to keep writing and publishing books. That sounds almost embarrassingly unambitious, but every new book is a major achievement.
10. Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Here, I’ll pass on some advice that was given to me. First of all: finish your book! So many people abandon their manuscript or lose interest or get distracted. But without even finishing your book, the rest doesn’t matter. And second: if you seek to find a publisher for your book, don’t give up! Be prepared for challenges, but stay resilient and tenacious.
Thank you for playing!
—The Stoning by Peter Papathanasiou (Transit Lounge) is out now.
The Stoning
A small outback town wakes to a savage murder. Molly Abbott, a popular teacher at the local school, is found taped to a tree and stoned to death. Suspicion falls on the refugees at the new detention centre on Cobb’s northern outskirts. Tensions are high between immigrants and some of the town’s residents.
Detective Sergeant Georgios ‘George’ Manolis is despatched to his childhood hometown to investigate. His late father immigrated to Australia in the 1950s, where he was first housed at the detention centre’s predecessor, a migrant camp...
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