Review

7 1/2: Christos Tsiolkas writes audacious and thrilling polemic on beauty

By Nigel Featherstone
November 13 2021 - 7:00am
Christos Tsiolkas. Picture: Sarah Enticknap
Christos Tsiolkas. Picture: Sarah Enticknap
  • 7 1/2, by Christos Tsiolkas. Allen & Unwin. Buy it now.

Since 1995, when he published Loaded, a slim but incendiary novel about 24 hours in the life of a young, gay, Greek man living in Melbourne, Christos Tsiolkas has been a powerful literary force. He would go on to receive high praise and perhaps even riches for The Slap (2008), a kaleidoscopic novel which would be adapted for television in Australia and the US. There has been Damascus (2019), Tsiolkas's award-winning re-imagining of the life of St Paul and the dark and violent early days of the Christian church, as well as other novels, a short story collection, and criticism. His is a towering presence, one that would be intimidating if the man did not have a reputation for being warm and generous.

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