Encore: The real life story behind 'Looking for Alibrandi'

Mar 31, 2026

Melina Marchetta, an award-winning Australian writer who drew on her Sicilian-Australian upbringing, talks about the making of Looking for Alibrandi. She recounts family migration, secret letters, cultural hiding at school, first trip to Italy, repeated rejections before publication, and the book's surprising reach. The conversation also touches on foster care, open adoption, and passing on Sicilian traditions.

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ANECDOTE

Novel Rooted In Sicilian Family Life

Melina Marchetta drew Looking for Alibrandi from her own Sicilian-Australian childhood and extended family dynamics.
She describes crowded Sunday lunches, two tables for kids and adults, and vivid characters like her matriarchal grandmother and great aunts who still grieved departures to Australia.

question_answer

ANECDOTE

Grandfather's Cane Cutting And Internment

Her grandfather emigrated to work cutting cane in North Queensland, was interned during WWII, and later never returned to Sicily.
Melina recalls his tattooed youthful spirit and the family's resilience despite hardship and internment.

question_answer

ANECDOTE

Secret Courtship Preserved In Letters

Melina's parents had a secret courtship because her strict grandfather disapproved, and exchanged letters via relatives.
Her mother later planned to burn those letters but Melina preserved them in a box despite them being in Italian.

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Family origins and grandparents' migration

01:53 • 2min

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Life on the cane fields and family resilience

03:36 • 3min

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Grandfather's kindness at the airport

06:07 • 2min

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Parents' courtship and secret letters

07:43 • 3min

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Settling in Sydney and Sunday ritual life

11:07 • 6min

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School life and hiding cultural differences

17:30 • 4min

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Early jobs, typing skills and first writing

21:33 • 2min

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First trip to Italy and family grief

23:48 • 3min

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Rejections to publication

26:51 • 3min

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Publishing changes and returning to study

30:00 • 1min

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Unexpected wide readership

31:11 • 1min

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Confidence, public profile and teaching

32:30 • 2min

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Choices about children and family expectations

34:06 • 3min

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Deciding on permanent foster care

36:38 • 3min

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Vetting difficulties and finding Barnardo's

40:00 • 1min

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Match, first meeting and transition

41:13 • 3min

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Bringing Bianca home and early anxieties

44:00 • 2min

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Extended family embraces Bianca

46:06 • 2min

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Open adoption and honesty about origins

47:50 • 2min

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Passing on culture and diverse community

49:36 • 1min

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Sicilian kinship and international family ties

Looking for Alibrandi

Melina Marchetta

Looking for Alibrandi follows Josephine 'Josie' Alibrandi, a sarcastic 17-year-old in her final year at a prestigious Catholic girls' school, as she grapples with her Italian heritage, illegitimacy, scholarship status, and cultural expectations. Amidst budding romances with Jacob Coote, friendship with John Barton who tragically suicides, and reconnecting with her estranged father Michael Andretti, Josie uncovers family secrets from her mother Christina and Nonna Katia, ultimately embracing her multifaceted identity.

The Place on Dalhousie

Melina Marchetta

Melina Marchetta's The Place on Dalhousie is a contemporary novel that examines complex family dynamics and personal histories through richly drawn characters living in Australia. The story focuses on relationships, secrets and the small events that shape lives over time, revealing how ordinary domestic moments carry emotional weight. Marchetta employs keen observational detail and compassionate insight into working-class and migrant experiences. The novel continues her interest in identity, belonging and the ties that bind families together across generations. It further showcases her skill in combining warmth, humour and poignancy in adult fiction.

What Zola Did

Melina Marchetta

What Zola Did is a children’s/junior fiction series by Melina Marchetta that follows the everyday experiences and emotional development of its titular character. Written with empathy and humour, the series addresses issues of friendship, family and resilience appropriate for younger readers. Marchetta adapts her strong character-driven storytelling for a middle-grade audience, creating relatable scenes and engaging voice. The books aim to encourage empathy and emotional literacy while remaining entertaining and accessible. They continue Marchetta’s commitment to representing diverse family experiences in Australian children’s literature.

#2002

• Mentioned in 22 episodes

Anne of Green Gables

Lucy Maud Montgomery

Published in 1908, the novel tells the story of Anne Shirley, an 11-year-old orphan girl who is sent by mistake to live with Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, who had intended to adopt a boy to help them on their farm in Avonlea. Despite initial reservations, Anne's vivid imagination, talkativeness, and joyful spirit transform the lives of the Cuthberts and the community. The novel follows Anne's adventures in school, her friendships, and her rivalry with Gilbert Blythe, as well as her growth and adaptation to her new home. Montgomery infused the work with her own girlhood experiences and the rural life and traditions of Prince Edward Island.

#44

• Mentioned in 266 episodes

Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen

Published in 1813, 'Pride and Prejudice' is a novel that revolves around the lives of the Bennet family, particularly the second eldest daughter, Elizabeth. The story is set in the early 19th century and explores themes of love, societal expectations, and personal growth. The novel centers on Elizabeth's tumultuous relationship with the wealthy and proud Mr. Darcy, whose initial arrogance and reserve gradually give way to a deeper understanding and mutual respect. Through their interactions, both characters learn to overcome their prejudices and flaws, leading to a transformative journey of self-discovery and redemption. The novel also delves into the societal pressures on women to secure marriages, the importance of family, and the nuances of social hierarchy during the British Regency period.

Melina Marchetta grew up in Sydney in a close-knit Sicilian family, but she never wanted to be seen as 'that Italian girl'. Years later, she drew on her story to write an Australian classic (R).

Growing up, Melina lied about the fact she was forbidden to go out on the weekends, and instead told her friends she had to attend lots of weddings.

At 19 years old, she visited Italy for the first time and met her great aunts, still grieving the siblings who had left for Australia decades earlier.

Melina was working in the Commonwealth Bank when she began writing the novel inspired by her family's story.

Looking for Alibrandi was rejected five times before it was published some years later.

Then it became an Australian classic.

Originally broadcast in April 2019.

Melina's latest novel The Place on Dalhousie was published by Penguin in 2019.

And her latest children's book in the What Zola Did series, was published in 2022.

This Conversation was produced by Nicola Harrison. Executive Producer was Carmel Rooney.

It explores Australian literature, writing, books, memoir, semi-autobiographical, novels, youth literature, teen literature, romance, coming of age, migrant stories, Italian-Australian stories, movie adaptation, Pia Miranda, Kick Gurry, Anthony LaPaglia.

To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

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