Fire, Flood, Plague: Australian Writers Respond to 2020

Edited by Sophie Cunningham
Penguin Random House (2020)

Fire, Flood, Plague is a vital cultural record of the resilience and humanity needed in these extraordinary times. 2020 began with firestorms raging through the country, followed by floods, and then a global pandemic that has changed how Australians think, feel and live. We all experienced this year differently, but one thing rings true for all of us: this is a year we won’t forget. This anthology brings together original work from a diverse collection of Australian voices, from writers to scientists, journalists to historians, all expressing what 2020 meant to them. They write of ash falling from the sky, fish dying on riverbanks, loved ones lost, loved ones reunited, the historical resonance of fire and plague for Indigenous Australians, geopolitical tensions, the changed nature of travel, friendships rekindled on Zoom, the urgency of the Black Lives Matter movement, the state of the arts and the media, the importance of nurturing our inner lives, communities destroyed and communities rebuilding. 

Contributing writers include Lenore Taylor, Nyadol Nuon, Christos Tsiolkas, Melissa Lucashenko, Billy Griffiths, Jess Hill, Kim Scott, Brenda Walker, Jane Rawson, Omar Sakr, Richard McGregor, Jennifer Mills, Gabrielle Chan, John Birmingham, Tim Flannery, Rebecca Giggs, Kate Cole-Adams, George Megalogenis, James Bradley, Alison Croggon, Melanie Cheng, Kirsten Tranter, Tom Griffiths, Joëlle Gergis and Delia Falconer.

The Guardian (2020 – 2021) – Fire, Flood and Plague – essays about 2020

The Guardian (2020) – Murray-Darling mismanagement: floods, water theft, and Burke and Wills’s camels

“It’s an expertly constructed document of an unforgettable year, with perspectives that remind us how best to live.” – The Australian      

“… each, in their own way, irrefutably moving – is not unlike the slow release of therapy.”– The Saturday Paper      

“The essays are engrossing, weaving the personal, political and philosophical, and their brevity is ideal, making this volume easy to dip in and out of.” – Weekly Book Newsletter