Biographer Gabriella Kelly-Davies chats with biographers across the world about the myriad of choices they make while researching, writing and publishing life stories. In every episode, she explores elements of narrative strategy such as structure, use of fiction techniques, facts and truth, beginnings and endings and to what extent the writer interpreted the evidence rather than providing clues and leaving it to readers to do the interpreting themselves. She also asks how they researched their books; how they balanced a subject’s public, personal and inner lives; and ethical issues, such as privacy and revealing secrets.
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Biographer Gabriella Kelly-Davies chats with biographers across the world about the myriad of choices they make while researching, writing and publishing life stories. In every episode, she explores elements of narrative strategy such as structure, use of fiction techniques, facts and truth, beginnings and endings and to what extent the writer interpreted the evidence rather than providing clues and leaving it to readers to do the interpreting themselves. She also asks how they researched their books; how they balanced a subject’s public, personal and inner lives; and ethical issues, such as privacy and revealing secrets.
In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, 2025 National Biography Award winner Abbas El-Zein chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about his choices while crafting Bullet, Paper, Rock.
Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode:
Why Abbas shared his story in a series of short snapshots instead of one continuous timeline. This unconventional structure mirrors the way our memories surface, in vivid, fragmented moments.
How Abbas wove moments of humour and affection into a story set amid war and chaos, showing that everyday laughter and love can survive even in the darkest times.
The inspiring role of his Abbas’s family, especially the women who found ways to weave hope into even the toughest times. Abbas reflects on how their quiet strength shaped his outlook and helped him endure the turmoil.
How growing up fluent in Arabic and French, and later adopting English, shaped the way Abbas thinks and writes. He describes how each language brings out a different side of him, and how he brought that multicultural experience into Bullet, Paper, Rock.
How Abbas researched historical details and sifted through personal memories.
How Abbas coped with reliving painful moments and decided which stories to include.
What it means to truly survive chaos and loss. From almost drowning in the sea to losing loved ones in war, Abbas reflects on how those experiences taught him about resilience and carrying grief forward.
Abbas reflects on life in the Lebanese diaspora and how leaving his homeland shaped his perspective. He explains how years of living abroad, from Europe to Australia, gave him both clarity and longing when writing about where he came from.
Abbas leaves us with a moving reflection on the power of memory and storytelling.
He shares what he hopes readers and listeners will take away from his journey, reminding us that even amid loss and upheaval, hope and the human spirit endure in everyday life.
Biographers in Conversation
Biographer Gabriella Kelly-Davies chats with biographers across the world about the myriad of choices they make while researching, writing and publishing life stories. In every episode, she explores elements of narrative strategy such as structure, use of fiction techniques, facts and truth, beginnings and endings and to what extent the writer interpreted the evidence rather than providing clues and leaving it to readers to do the interpreting themselves. She also asks how they researched their books; how they balanced a subject’s public, personal and inner lives; and ethical issues, such as privacy and revealing secrets.
