Meet the Authors - Paul Monk
Interview with Paul Monk
Biography
Paul Monk, poet and polymath, is a writer of unusual range and quality, interested in almost every aspect of the way the world works, from natural history to geopolitics and in the finest nuances of human intimacy. He believes that, far from being "disenchanted" by modern science and the expansion of human knowledge, the world of both reality and meaning has been vastly extended and deepened for us. Moreover, he does not see the sciences as being at odds with the humanities, but as integral to their growth and integrity; either through what they make possible in archaeology and palaeo-climatology, or what they open up to us in cognitive neuro-science and musicology. Paul seeks to experience the fullness of what it means to be human and to give expression to this in his writing.
Over the past decade, Paul Monk has published well over 100 essays on public, international and historical affairs. He has not, generally, sought publication in academic journals, but has looked for a wider readership of non-specialists. He has done this while earning his living as a consultant and facilitator.
Paul Monk has published a number of books in the past four years:
Thunder from the Silent Zone: Rethinking China (Scribe, 2005) arose out of Paul Monk’s work in government as a senior intelligence analyst of China and his creation of a lecture course on Chinese Politics at La Trobe University in 1999.
Sonnets to a Promiscuous Beauty: A Homage to the Western Canon (Barrallier Books, 2006) contains 12 original sonnets, each with a detailed reflection of its background and meaning. This book was grounded in Paul's lifelong preoccupation with the foundations, riches, and possibilities of Western civilization.
The West in a Nutshell presents 30 essays that trace the beginnings of human presence on the planet, through the emergence and flourishing of Western civilization to the dilemmas now confronting us. It brings together the passions and concerns of thirty years in a single handsome volume of essays inspired by Montaigne’s famous Essays and those of Ralph Waldo Emerson. A limited deluxe edition production, The West in a Nutshell quickly sold out.
Paul is now writing the third of his Western civilisation trilogy titled Darkness Over Love: Letters to my Muse. This will again be supported by the images of Jörg Schmeisser and is planned to be published by Barrallier Books in 2011.
Education
PhD in International Relations, Australian National University, 1989. Paul Monk’s doctoral research was concerned with American interventions in Southeast Asia and Central America during the Cold War and specifically at inquiring into the capacity exhibited by the United States government to understand the challenges it faced and to design effective and pro-active policies to address them.
BA (First Class Honours), History, University of Melbourne, 1981. Paul Monk’s Honours thesis was a study of the general strike and student rebellion in France in May-June 1968 and was dedicated to Lech Walesa, then leading the Solidarity revolt against Communism in Poland.
Secondary education: Aquinas College, Ringwood, 1969-74. Dux of the College in Year XII, with a special distinction for general excellence. Captain of the College debating team. Winner of the public speaking award. Lead in the College musical. Captain Red athletics house.
Government Service
East Asia analysis in the Federal Government. Following completion of his PhD, Paul Monk was recruited by the Federal Government and assigned to work in the Defence Intelligence Organization (DIO) on East Asia. He was by turns an East Asia Geopolitics analyst, Japan and Koreas Desk Officer, Coordinator of East and South Asian Arms Trade and Defence Industry analysis, and head of China analysis.
