Brodie Lancaster, left, and Meg Wolitzer, right

Meg Wolitzer’s latest novel, The Female Persuasion, is about public pedestals and feminist friction.

Wolitzer herself is a feminist powerhouse who wrote her first novel, Sleepwalking, while still at university. A precocious talent, she was mentored by the famous essayist and screenwriter Nora Ephron.

Today, she’s the author of 12 acclaimed novels, including The Interestings and The Uncoupling. Three of her novels have been adapted to screen, most recently The Wife, starring Glenn Close. Always witty and always wise, Wolitzer’s work is preoccupied with the everyday struggles and successes of American women.

Wolitzer's own career trajectory – from young upstart to prominent novelist and teacher – makes her especially well placed to explore the tensions of intergenerational feminism. Her latest novel, The Female Persuasion, examines ideological purity, mentorship and compromise in the contemporary feminist landscape. It’s Wolitzer at her piercing and satirical best.

Recorded last May in Melbourne, she discusses The Female Persuasion and her incredible career to date with host Brodie Lancaster.

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