Helen Garner on a ‘nanna’s book’ about Aussie Rules and the strangers who stop her on the street

Helen Garner has spent nearly five decades writing fiction and true‑crime that sparks both controversy and acclaim in Australia.

During a recent video call from her Melbourne home, the 83‑year‑old explained how a simple idea about Australian rules football turned into something very different.

Her teenage grandson, Ambrose, plays for a local U16 team, the Flemington Colts, and Garner enjoyed watching the matches. When she first thought of a book, the prospect of having to swot, read the rulebook made her enthusiasm dip.

People she mentioned the project to assumed she would write a polemic about the sport’s societal impact, violence and so on. Garner dismissed that expectation as “a bore.”

Instead, she imagined following a single season of Ambrose’s team as “a nanna’s book.” She wants to capture what older women are really like, noting that “nobody writes about nannas” beyond sentimental portrayals.

Garner’s public profile means she is often stopped on the street, where strangers share strong views on her work. She says this has helped her develop “a very Garnerian obstinacy,” allowing her to resist “other people’s bossy opinions.”

At a recent library event promoting the project, the first five rows were filled with “white‑haired women with hankies in their hands.” Garner sees this as evidence of the audience she intended to reach.

She emphasizes that the book will not include “tedious explainers about the rules, history or sociology of Aussie rules football,” staying true to her desire to avoid boredom by moving “off in an unauthorised direction.”

Garner’s approach underscores her willingness to sidestep expected narratives in favor of personal, under‑represented perspectives.