The Book Club: Oct 4

This month The Book Club‘s Jennifer Byrne, Marieke Hardy and Jason Steger are joined by Adam Liaw and Virginia Gay.

The panel will be discussing the new book by Canadian author Patrick deWitt, Undermajordomo Minor, and the classic Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift.

Undermajordomo Minor is Patrick deWitt’s third novel and follows his Man Booker short-listed 2011 novel The Sisters Brothers. Set in an unnamed country in Europe, the story follows Lucien or Lucy Minor, a young man who leaves his small village of Bury to take up a job as the assistant to the Major Domo of the Castle Von Aux. In this new remote village, Lucy encounters thieves, madmen, aristocratic hedonists, and love. Undermajordomo Minor is a delightfully black comedy that entangles its characters in a blend of gothic romance and dark fairy tale.

This month’s classic, chosen by Adam, is Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels. Originally printed in 1726, it has never been out of print and is a true classic of English literature. It tells of the travels of ship’s surgeon Lemuel Gulliver, whose several voyages bring him into contact with unknown islands with people and animals of different sizes and customs; from the little people of Lilliput to the Yahoos of Houyhnhnm Land. A satire of the 18th century adventure novels and “traveller’s tales” literature, it is also parodies and gives insight into human nature.

As always, The Book Club invites viewers to send in a video comment or question about Gulliver’s Travels to run on the show and join the conversation! A book prize pack will be sent to the lucky reader whose video makes it on the program. Visit abc.net.au/tv/firsttuesday/ask/ for more detail.

Adam Liaw came to public prominence as the winner of Masterchef in 2010. He has since published several cookbooks including, Two Asian Kitchens, Asian After Work, Adam’s Big Pot and most recently Adam Liaw’s Asian Cookery School. He has also hosted two series of travel show Destination Flavour on SBS Television. As a qualified lawyer his interests go beyond the kitchen; he is a big reader and is also currently UNICEF Australia’s Ambassador for Nutrition.

Virginia Gay is an entertainer and actress known for her roles on Winners & Losers and All Saints. . She has also performed her one woman cabaret show Dirty Pretty Songs at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and was recently on stage in the Sydney production of High Society.

6pm Sunday October 4 on ABC.