Christos Tsiolkas, Australian novelist

Hardtalk is in Australia for a series of interviews to test the political, cultural and economic climate.
Alongside Australia's prosperity and increased affluence lie a range of simmering social issues such as race, immigration, class and identity.

The son of Greek immigrants, Christos Tsiolkas is an Australian novelist whose book The Slap has been an international bestseller and is currently being filmed as a major television series. Set in Melbourne The Slap paints a dark and uncompromising picture of shifting suburban values and norms. Christos Tsiolkas tells Stephen Sackur why he feels so attached yet so at odds with the country of his birth.