September FOWL Author Talk with Brian Stoddart

Friends of Wingecarribee Public Library present September 2025 Author Talk with Brian Stoddart

About the Books:

In The Pallampur Predicament, the second in Brian Stoddart’s Le Fanu Mysteries series, we find the upright but troubled policeman, Superintendent Le Fanu, chasing the murderers of a Rajah in Madras during the 1920s. Under pressure from his bombastic superior and still allergic to the sight of blood, he is also separated from the love of his life, Ro McPhedran in a society where colour, class and caste make relationships difficult.

Superintendent Le Fanu must also navigate the prejudices and fear that stalk the British administration as talk of independence for India ramps up. As the Raj becomes more belligerent towards Gandhi’s non-violent, passive resistance movement and the Indian National Congress’s political campaigning, the presence of armed revolutionaries and British secret agents complicate Le Fanu’s life even further. As he tries to solve the murders, he finds himself in a quagmire created by opposing forces unwilling to compromise, embroiling his professional and personal lives even more.

In Playing the Game: How Cricket Made Barbados, Brian Stoddart looks at how for generations the tiny Caribbean Island of Barbados has produced some of the world’s best cricketers and for 20 years or more had the world’s best teams. Despite this success, the game in Barbados was structured along caste, class and colour lines, and for more than 50 years there was even a separated competition for teams representing the “masses” and one for the “elite”. This book explains how all that occurred in the aftermath of slavery and abolition, how the game has been at the heart of social reordering, and how the effects of all that still reverberate. Brian, a cricket tragic, writes as both a professional historian and as someone who played his last season in Barbados.

About the Author Brian Stoddart:

Emeritus Professor Brian Stoddart is a multi-award-winning historian, novelist, screenwriter and commentator whose diverse work ranges from sport to international affairs. He has written 25 books and was the first to see sport as a subject for serious historical study. Former Vice Chancellor of La Trobe University, he has served at universities in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Canada and the West Indies.

Brian has lived and worked in many countries including Jordan, Syria, Cambodia and Laos where he was the World Bank's chief technical adviser on aid and development programs directing higher education reform. As a screenwriter, he has won competitions and awards in Australia, India, the United Kingdom and Canada. For the past 12 years, Brian has also been a popular speaker on cruises. Last year he spent 100 days at sea giving 60 lectures, each one tailored to the ship’s itinerary. His travels have provided a rich source of inspiration for his books. 

Copies of Brian's books will be available for sale and signing at the event.

Date: Tuesday 16 September 2025
Time: 10am. Morning tea will follow the talk. Doors open at 9.40am.
Place: Henrietta Rose Room, next to the Bowral Library
Cost: $15 + booking fee for members with discount code, and $20 for non-members + booking fee
Bookings: are essential and can be made HERE
Please note: When purchasing multiple tickets, member and non-member tickets need to be ordered separately