Interview with Richard King - Thinker, Author, Critic, Poet

Born and raised in the United Kingdom, Richard King gained an MA in Literary History and Cultural Discourse from the University of Sussex, England, before moving to London to work in bookselling and develop his own writing career.

Since moving to Australia in 2001, he has been published in a range of newspapers and magazines, including The Australian, The Age, the Sydney Morning Herald, The Independent, The Monthly, Griffith Review, the Sydney Review of Books, Meanjin, Overland, New Matilda, Australian Book Review and 3 Quarks Daily (for whom he wrote a regular column between 2016 and 2018).

Richard has also been published in The Best Australian Poems and the Best Australian Science Writing. Close to the Arena cooperative in Melbourne, he writes regularly for Arena Online and Arena’s quarterly magazine, focusing in particular on the relationship between culture and technology.

His first book On Offence: The Politics of Indignation (Scribe, 2013) was widely and positively reviewed by critics, with The Weekend Australian’s Geordie Williamson calling it ‘an extended essay of uncommon eloquence and brio.’  The late Clive James was also an admirer of King’s writing.

King’s latest book is Here Be Monsters: Is Technology Reducing Our Humanity? published last year, 2023, by Monash University Publishing.

Our Editor, Michael Barker, was extremely pleased to catch up with Richard King in Freo to discuss Here Be Monsters, technology, AI and humans and to make this podcast.

You can read the full story on Fremantle Shipping News here.