Andrew O'Hagan: On Friendship

06 Oct 2026
07:00pm - 08:15pm
$25.50 - $33.50
The Capitol, 113 Swanston St, Melbourne

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Acclaimed author Andrew O'Hagan joins Marieke Hardy to explore the friendships, encounters and connections that give our lives meaning.

RMIT University, in partnership with The Wheeler Centre, presents acclaimed Scottish novelist, essayist and journalist Andrew O'Hagan in conversation with Marieke Hardy about his new essay collection, On Friendship.

We move through life in the company of others: childhood friends, kindred spirits and chance encounters that become lasting bonds. Some friendships are forged over decades, while others arrive unexpectedly, changing us in an instant.

In O'Hagan's celebrated genre-defying style, On Friendship draws on a lifetime of connections – with friends, writers, artists, strangers and even those on four legs – to explore what friendship can mean, and why it matters. Described by critics as 'joyous' and 'heartfelt but intelligent', O'Hagan brings his characteristic wit to an optimistic portrait of the many ways people find one another.

Before the conversation, Professor Hannah Badland, Director of RMIT’s Social Equity Research Centre, will provide a contextual introduction, drawing on her expertise in social connection and loneliness, and her research into the relationship between the built environment, urban planning and health inequities.

Join O'Hagan and Marieke Hardy at The Capitol for an intimate conversation about the relationships that shape our lives, the unexpected connections that stay with us, and the enduring value of friendship.

Presented by RMIT University in partnership with The Wheeler Centre.

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Andrew O'Hagan: On Friendship