Prudish Nation

From its early settler days and Federation to the extreme literary censorship of the 20th century, from the 2017 Marriage Amendment Act to present-day morality and identity politics, it's tempting to ask- is 'fun-loving, laid-back' Australia actually a bit, well, prudish?

Interviewing more than 30 Australia-based authors and thinkers while examining his own journey towards being openly non-monogamous, Poly author Paul Dalgarno pulls together social history and illuminating first-hand accounts of what it means to have 'unconventional' relationships - with others and even with ourselves - in 21st-century Australia.

Do authors such as Christos Tsiolkas, Dennis Altman and Andrea Goldsmith think we're more tolerant than we once were? Are writers such as Lee Kofman, Rochelle Siemienowicz and Jinghua Qian optimistic about the future? Do terms such as LGBTQIA+ help or hinder meaningful progress? How does transitioning now compare to transitioning in the 1990s? How does 'queerness' affect notions of parenthood? Do therapists and psychologists still operate from a straight-white-male perspective and how can new practitioners such as popular psychologist and author Chris Cheers change that?

Entertaining, insightful, funny and thought-provoking, Prudish Nation adjusts the country's bedside lamp to show us a little more clearly who and what we really are.

About the Author

Paul Dalgarno is the author of the novels A Country of Eternal Light (2023) and Poly (2020), and the memoir And You May Find Yourself (2015). His writing has appeared in Guardian Australia, Archer, Australian Book Review, Penthouse and many other publications. He lives in Melbourne.