A Brief Evening with Garry Disher, an Australian Crime Writer

Recently, I attended a book presentation here in Newcastle featuring an Australian crime writer whose books I’ve been devouring for some time: Garry Disher. A few days before the event, I chatted with a mate in Germany. We talked about plans for the coming days, and I mentioned that I would be seeing an author probably unknown in Germany. It turned out that Disher is quite well-known in Germany, and my friend was currently reading one of his books. It was in a surprise book box from his local bookseller (great idea!).

The reading was hosted by Dan Cox, a radio presenter from ABC Newcastle. The Newcastle City Library looks older and more venerable than it is. It was designed in 1988 by Australian star architect Romaldo Giurgola, who also designed the Australian Parliament House in Canberra. To me, the library has a cool 60s vibe with its high ceilings, lots of glass, and beige marble. Wine and beer were served, along with cheese, crackers, green and red grapes, which were well received by the typical book reading audience (educated citizens aged 60+, lively retired teacher-living-the-good-life model).

Disher, a wiry man in his early 70s, makes a personable impression; appearing younger, mentally agile, with a subtle sense of humour. He is reserved yet accommodating and polite; a good mix of British restraint and Australian easy-going. That evening, however, he seemed a bit tired and would probably have preferred to be on his Mornington Peninsular Island near Melbourne rather than sitting in front of 40 people answering questions he has likely answered many times before. I don’t know what is in publishers’ contracts, but Garry Disher must surely fulfil a few of these commitments to promote his new book, “Days End”. It probably didn’t help that he had just recorded a 25-minute podcast with Cox, featuring similar questions.

Disher has a pleasant, deep voice and dutilfully answers every question from Dan Cox, who clearly demonstrates his experience as a daily ABC morning show radio presenter. He is a typical radio speaker who can talk about any subject. His voice seems familiar, even though I have hardly listened to his show (now I almost listen to “Breakfast with Dan and Jenny” every morning, so he won me over).

Cox is a really nice guy. I just wish he had not only worked through his pre-planned questions with Disher but allowed Disher to give longer answers, delving deeper and providing more room for storytelling. It becomes evident that Disher momentarily wakes up when challenged. Then personal stories emerge, and one better understands how Disher observes life and people and weaves stories from these observations. Everyone has their time of day. For me, it’s the morning when I feel most creative. Disher is someone for a Wednesday afternoon when you suddenly find two unplanned hours of free time, drive to the sea, walk barefoot in the sand for a while, and simply let your senses wander “unproductively.”

I would love to spend an entire day with Disher at a leisurely pace, preferably in motion, on a long walk or perhaps on the nearly two-hour train journey to Melbourne, with many long periods of silence during which we simply let the landscape pass by.

What did I take away from the event? Here are my notes:

Why do readers like Hirsch?

• “Hirsch” is the protagonist of many of Disher’s books. He is a police officer, an outsider in a small town. Why does he appeal to readers? He is a very friendly guy with a good sense of humour. He doesn’t take himself too seriously but is very earnest in dealing with the people he interacts with. He is not quick to punish.
• Often, Hirsch looks after young people who have, for whatever reason, strayed from their path. He tries to understand and deal with them compassionately. He seeks to understand what drives people and how he can help them.
• Hirsch is the executive, but he also advises people, such as a widow with a schizophrenic son, or in the latest book and one of the earlier ones, two teenagers in town caring for their bipolar mother. So, he looks out for such individuals. It’s his personality as well as his desire to help people, no matter their situation.

What makes a good crime novel?

• It must be a mix of a great story and a compelling character. One can be a fantastic plotter with all sorts of twists and exciting events, but the story won’t be gripping if the character isn’t well-developed.
• Readers should empathize with the main character. For example, Wyatt is the complete opposite of Hirsch. He is a cold, ruthless, and meticulous killer. He robs banks and is a planner. There’s almost nothing else one could say about him, and he would kill if betrayed or in danger of being murdered.
• A rule of thumb for writers: You must know your characters really well. Sometimes, however, this may not be the case: In the Wyatt novels, Disher deliberately avoids this. If he were to explore Wyatt’s troubled childhood, for example, having an alcoholic father or a drug-addicted mother, then Wyatt would become vulnerable and cease to be Wyatt. But at the same time, readers seem to like him. They appreciate this side of him. Disher receives letters from readers who say they don’t approve of Wyatt’s actions, but they want him to win.

Why is Garry Disher particularly popular in Germany?

• Disher has won significant awards in Germany and has just returned from his fourth author tour in the country. His books are very popular there, especially the Wyatt novels that have been published in Germany.
• Why Germany? One reason for Wyatt’s popularity in Germany could be the country’s polite, well-behaved, and law-abiding society. They enjoy reading about a character like Wyatt who breaks the rules and gets away with it.

What matters in the stories?

• Disher follows Irish writer Sean Arbalen’s advice: What you need at the beginning is a character, a situation, and a promise. The promise is a journey for the writer with an answer at the end. This promise also applies to the reader. It must go somewhere, explore something, and be resolved in some way. This works even for literary novels.
• When he started writing crime novels, he quickly realized that his characters ended up in impossible situations. He had to bend the plot to satisfy the character or bend the character to meet the plot requirements, and so on.

How extensive is the planning and writing process?

• Disher plans for several weeks, sometimes even two or three months, jotting things down on the back of old manuscript pages - only with a blue ballpoint pen. If it’s a black pen, the magic disappears. He does this until the whole book is in his head and on paper; only then does he start writing.
• When he plans, it’s very specific, and he knows a lot about what happens in each chapter, where it’s said, who’s involved, what happens, at what time of day, etc. All these things are crucial.
• He has the ending in mind early on but doesn’t know all the details yet. He trusts that the story will ultimately dictate the ending to him.
• Disher treats his writing like a job. He writes every morning from 8 am to 1 pm, taking long walks in between. One must treat it like a job, even when not feeling inspired. That way, there’s no writer’s block.

Now, I really need to read Day’s End. Let’s see, maybe even a short book note will come out of it.