FIRST PERSON

ANNE SUMMERS AUTHOR & FEMINIST

I was happiest when … I published my first book Damned Whores and God’s Police all those years ago. I amazed myself that I had done it. You wouldn’t know it but … that’s my secret. My most embarrassing moment … when I forgot my mother’s name when I was introducing her to someone. The last time I cried was … when Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed as a Justice on the US Supreme Court because I know that The Handmaid’s Tale is now no longer a work of fiction but a likely future for women in America. The last book I read was … Lethal White by Robert Galbraith. I’m totally hooked on these clever crime books by J.K. Rowling (who writes under the Robert Galbraith pseudonym). They are good on the crime but even greater on skewering many aspects of British society, especially the aristocracy. My favourite films are … I really can’t go past The Rose (who needs A Star is Born when Bette Midler showed us how it was done all those years ago). Although my absolute all-time favourite will always be Jules et Jim. My guilty pleasure is … binge-watching great TV series such as Ozark, The Americans, The Bridge, Borgen and Homeland. I’m about to … get on a plane for Australia to come and talk about my new book Unfettered and Alive. Can’t wait. My first job was … best forgotten. It was in a bank and because I was a girl I wasn’t allowed to touch the money. But I did have to make cups of tea for all the males who worked there. My most memorable work-related moment is … staring out the window and watching the working boats on New York’s East River.

Hear Anne Summers in conversation with Dr Lucy Tatman, senior lecturer in philosophy and gender studies at the University of Tasmania as she launches her memoir Unfettered and Alive at Fullers Bookshop in Hobart tomorrow at 2.30pm. This is a free event but places are limited – RSVP here: fullersbookshop.com.au/event/ unfettered-and-alive