7am in 2023: The Literary Scandal

2023-12-21

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John Hughes was once hailed as a young literary genius, and won a scholarship to Cambridge.Yet he found himself back in Australia working as a librarian and a teacher before his writing found an audience.Hughes was shortlisted for some of the greatest honours in Australian writing. But under the scrutiny of greater acclaim, a strange web of inconsistencies and copying struck one reader: Anna Verney.Today, we’re looking back on this interview between Ruby Jones, Anna Verney and Richard Cooke, on how they first discovered the b...

John Hughes was once hailed as a young literary genius, and won a scholarship to Cambridge.

Yet he found himself back in Australia working as a librarian and a teacher before his writing found an audience.

Hughes was shortlisted for some of the greatest honours in Australian writing. But under the scrutiny of greater acclaim, a strange web of inconsistencies and copying struck one reader: Anna Verney.

Today, we’re looking back on this interview between Ruby Jones, Anna Verney and Richard Cooke, on how they first discovered the borrowings of John Hughes and the revelations that followed.

(This episode was first published in March 2023)

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Guest: Writer Anna Verney and contributing editor to The Monthly Richard Cooke

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