AUSTRALIA’S twenty-second prime minister, Malcolm Fraser, defeated in 1983 by Bob Hawke after almost eight years in office, has remained a significant public figure. But he has written little about the often-turbulent events of his long political career. Now comes an autobiography written not by Malcolm Fraser alone, but in collaboration with the journalist and writer, Margaret Simons. Together they’ve produced Malcolm Fraser: The Political Memoirs, written in the third person and bearing all the hallmarks of rigorous research and journalistic method. How did this process actually work? Peter Clarke asked Margaret Simons to reflect on a challenging co-writing experience.
The subtle art of collaboration
Margaret Simons (pictured) talks to Peter Clarke about a challenging co-writing project, the political memoirs of Malcolm Fraser
Margaret Simons & Peter Clarke 14 April 2010 103 words
Share
Share on Bluesky
Share on Linkedin
Share on Twitter
Share on Facebook
Share via Email
Print this article
Share
Share on Bluesky
Share on Linkedin
Share on Twitter
Share on Facebook
Share via Email
Print this article
Share
Share on Bluesky
Share on Linkedin
Share on Twitter
Share on Facebook
Share via Email
Print this article
Margaret Simons & Peter Clarke
Peter Clarke is a Melbourne-based broadcaster, writer and educator who teaches at RMIT and Swinburne universities. He pioneered national talkback on Australian radio as the inaugural presenter of Offspring (now Life Matters) on ABC Radio National. Podcast theme created by Ivan Clarke, Pang Productions.
Topics: Margaret Simons | Peter Clarke | podcast | politics
Related Articles
Books & arts
Talking about a revolution
Marian Quartly
24 October 2025
Hope can be found in the history of Australian feminism. But what best to do next?
National affairs
Sizing up a bigger parliament
Peter Brent
23 October 2025
Labor is testing the arguments — and support — for more MPs and fixed four-year terms
Books & arts
Moscow’s rights-defenders
Mark Edele
22 October 2025
A prize-winning account of Soviet-era human rights activists throws light on Putin’s Russia
National affairs
Critical chemistry
Stephen Grenville
22 October 2025
Australia must be careful its rare-earth ambitions don’t force a choice between China and America