Robbie Arnott’s début, Flames (2018), won a Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Novelist award and a Tasmanian Premier’s Literary Prize. His follow-up, The Rain Heron (2020), won the Age Book of the Year award, and was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award, the ALS Gold Medal, the Voss Literary Prize and an Adelaide Festival Award. His latest novel is Limberlost (2022). He lives in Hobart.

If you could go anywhere tomorrow, where would it be, and why?
I’ve always wanted to go to Patagonia. Even thinking about it fills me with a sense of adventure and isolation and natural beauty. I feel as though if I went there I’d come to some new understanding of things. It’s a silly feeling, but I can’t shake it. 

What’s your idea of hell?
Any meeting that goes for more than half an hour.

What do you consider the most specious virtue?
Passion (or the dreaded Vision). I think both are often used as excuses to treat others poorly.

What’s your favourite film?
Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011).

And your favourite book?
Old School (2003), by Tobias Wolff.

Name the three people with whom you would most like to dine.
I have some friends who died young, so I’d go to the pub with them.

Which word do you most dislike, and which one would you like to see back in public usage?
Learnings (or any corporate jargon). Every time I hear jargon, I feel as if the world loses a bit of colour. I’d like to see blood referred to as claret more often. It reminds me of my grandfather, and the vibrant way he would use language and colloquialisms.

Who is your favourite author? 
I find this hard to answer, because there are many writers who have written books I adore, but I don’t necessary love their whole body of work. So I’m just going to say Annie Proulx. Her writing means a tremendous amount to me.

And your favourite literary hero or heroine?
Philip Marlowe. He’s compelling, charismatic, and funny. Despite all his toughness and bluntness, he is kind to people who need kindness. 

Which quality do you most admire in a writer?
Curiosity.

Which book influenced you most in your youth?
The Redwall series, by Brian Jacques.

Name an early literary idol or influence whom you no longer admire.
J.K. Rowling.

Do you have a favourite podcast, apart from ABR’s one of course?
This is by far the easiest question for me to answer. I do have a favourite podcast, and it’s called Fall of Civilizations. The title pretty much sums it up. I love it so much. Listening to it feels like being taken to a world with more textures.

What, if anything, impedes your writing?
The two main ones are distraction and the need to make money through non-writing work. I’m about to become a father, though, so I imagine that will take top spot.

What qualities do you look for in critics, and which ones do you enjoy reading?
I like criticism that engages deeply with a work and brings interesting readings to the text that I might not have seen myself. For those reasons, I admire the writing of Oliver Reeson and Khalid Warsame.

How do you find working with editors?
I have a great relationship with my editor at Text Publishing: David Winter. He champions my work, supports me when things aren’t going well, guides my writing in better directions, drinks beer with me, and makes my books better.

What do you think of writers’ festivals?
They’re great. I like getting about and meeting readers, and I like talking with other writers. The thing about festivals I rub up against are the themes and titles of all the panels – ‘writing strong characters’, ‘creating imaginary worlds’, ‘finding your voice’, etc. They often feel arbitrary and limiting. 

Are artists valued in our society?
I don’t know. Sort of? Not as much as athletes, that’s for sure. I don’t think about it much. I just try and get on with things. 

What are you working on now?
The final edits on my third novel, Limberlost. And a nursery.