Reviews & Articles
THE INDEPENDENT
Australian panic as 'Unknown Terrorist' sparks a pub ejection
(Kathy Marks, 16 Nov 2007)
Reading a book in a pub might seem an inoffensive activity but when drinkers saw the title of a book being read by Michael Chalk, they complained to bouncers and he was ejected.
Mr Chalk was reading The Unknown Terrorist, the latest novel by the Australian author, Richard Flanagan. The book has received critical acclaim, but patrons in Shenanigans, an Irish pub in the Queensland city of Cairns, clearly had not heard of it.
Mr Chalk, a teacher who was in town for an education conference, had not even ordered a drink when a security officer asked him to leave. "He said several customers had complained about the literature I was reading and I'd have to move on," Mr Chalk told the Cairns Post.
Mr Chalk said he believed his appearance – he is olive skinned, with dark hair – played a part in the incident.
The Unknown Terrorist is about a Sydney pole dancer who finds herself Australia's most wanted terrorist after spending a night with a man called Tariq. The novel is a critique of post-11 September paranoia, whipped up by politicians, the media and security services. Read full article (PDF 62KB)