Event #71

Kate Grenville: The Country Schoolmaster: A Mystery in 88 Letters

Sat 10 Oct 2026

Kate Grenville + Matthew Condon

Powerhouse Theatre

Regular Program

#Performances

Sat 10 Oct 2026 - 1:00pm

Powerhouse Theatre

Book Now

#About the event

Duration: 60 minutes

Kate Grenville: The Country Schoolmaster: A Mystery in 88 Letters

In conversation with Matthew Condon
1–2pm, Saturday 10 October, Powerhouse Theatre

A locked-room mystery. A colonial cold case. A family feud. And a cache of 88 letters that pose a series of tantalising questions. Celebrated writer Kate Grenville’s new book is a mesmerising reconstruction of a hundred-year-old true story she discovered in the archives. Was New South Wales schoolteacher Joseph Connor an abusive villain or the victim of a small-town witch hunt? Grenville is at her masterful best here, piecing together the facts as she ruminates on the pleasures and pitfalls of storytelling.

#Artists

Kate Grenville

Kate Grenville is one of Australia’s most celebrated writers, having published eighteen books including the international bestseller The Secret River. Her latest book is The Country Schoolmaster: A Mystery in 88 Letters.

Matthew Condon

Matthew Condon is an award-winning journalist and the author of more than 18 works of fiction and non-fiction, including the bestselling true crime trilogy – Three Crooked Kings, Jacks and Jokers and All Fall Down. His other books include The Trout Opera and The Motorcycle Café. His podcasts include Ghost Gate Road and The Gangster’s Ghost. In 2019 he was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for services to the community. He is a columnist for The Australian.