I had the great honour of interviewing Jakob Ziguras about his latest and most accomplished book, Venetian Mirrors. Ziguras was born in Poland in 1977 to Polish and Greek parents and came to Australia in 1984. He studied fine arts before switching to a doctorate in philosophy at the University of Sydney. His poetry has appeared in journals in Australia and internationally. His debut collection Chains of Snow (Sydney: Pitt Street Poetry 2013) was shortlisted for the 2014 Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Poetry. was shortlisted for the 2014 Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Poetry. His poetry has appeared in a number of anthologies, including: Contemporary Australian Poetry (Sydney: Puncher & Wattmann 2016), The Best Australian Poems (Melbourne: Black Inc. 2014, 2015) and Incroci di poesia contemporanea 2010-2015 (Mestre: Amos Edizioni 2015).

Simon Starr is a Melbourne musician. That's all he wanted in his bio. And wisely so, because this conversation about music, Israel, and the fundamental questions of history and culture, needs very little introduction. Starr has given me one of my strongest episodes to date. The theme song 'Zaftik' was composed and performed by Nelson Rufatt.

Professor Anna Goldsworthy is a concert pianist, both solo, and with the renowned Seraphim Trio. Her passion for teaching makes her the ideal Director of the Elder Conservatorium in Adelaide. Her articles, plays, recent novel, and libretto, would be enough on their own to secure her reputation as an indispensable literary talent. But in her memoirs, Goldsworthy really brings music and prose together. Eschewing decadent lyricism, she writes about music as precisely as she plays it, and in so doing, tells the story of her life. The theme song 'Zaftik' was composed and performed by Nelson Rufatt.

Episode description not available.

In this episode, Nelson celebrates the up-coming birth of his child, and wonders why so many people don't want kids. The theme song 'Zaftik' was composed and performed by Nelson Rufatt.

In today's episode, Nelson sits down in the interviewee's chair to chat with... his wife: Emma-Mae Rufatt. Together they clear up various mysteries, including why some musicians aren't artists, what makes good art, and what the ideal meat pie is made of. Emma-Mae is a classical soprano, choral scholar, and jazz singer. She is a superlative teacher of voice, piano, and music theory. The theme song 'Zaftik' was composed and performed by Nelson Rufatt.

In this episode, Nelson talks to Stephen Edgar about poetry, and why it springs as much from technique as from inspiration. Edgar's poetry can be read, listened to, and purchased at: http://www.stephenedgar.com.au/newsite/ The theme song 'Zaftik' was composed and performed by Nelson Rufatt.

This episode is about the genius of Barry Humphries, and the Shakespearian magnitude of his characters. Like Shakespeare, Humphries created personalities who really did exist, in books, on stage, on television and film, in his head, and in our heads. Rufatt wrote this essay around the time of Humphries' death. The theme song 'Zaftik' was composed and performed by Nelson Rufatt.

This episode is a short tribute to Martin Amis, who died of Oesophageal Cancer, only last Friday.

A late Easter message. Christianity and Humanism are words usually claimed, and guarded by, opposing parties. This episode reflects on the moment when Christianity and Humanism met, and when Christianity transcended its religious story by becoming uniquely human. This first appeared as an article in Issue 4 (Christmas Issue) of 'The Parrish Paper', St. Peter's Eastern Hill. It was printed by the paper's editor, Philip Harvey.   The theme song 'Zaftik' was composed and performed by Nelson Rufatt.

Nelson and Jonathan continue their discussion of J. G. Ballard's novel 'Crash'. Pink Floyd get a mention, and Jonathan exposes for the whole world, one of Nelson's most closely guarded secrets. Now you're interested. The music was composed and performed specially for these episodes by Jonathan Craig.

In 1973, J. G. Ballard published 'Crash', an orgy of a novel, which made an aesthetics of sex and violence. In what Ballard called an 'extreme metaphor', the car crash became the culmination of orgasm, celebrity worship, and nihilistic longing. Yes, well, quite. Who better to discuss this distasteful blemish on literature, than with writer and old friend, Jonathan Craig, with whom Nelson recorded the first episode of Counterturn, all those months ago. The novel can be purchased here: https://www.amazon.com.au/s?k=crash+ballard&crid=3MTVTFDJNAB47&sprefix=crash+ballar%2Caps%2C464&ref=nb_sb_noss_2 Jonathan Craig's aside on Princess Diana was based on this article: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-57189371 Music for synthesizers was composed by Jonathan Craig. The theme song 'Zaftik' was composed and performed by Nelson Rufatt.

Nelson discusses boredom, its causes and who they are. He reflects on the importance of furnishing your mind, and liking it. The theme song 'Zaftik' was composed and performed by Nelson Rufatt.

Something slightly different.   The theme song 'Zaftik' was composed and performed by Nelson Rufatt.

This week, Nelson talks with Professor Kate Burridge. Prof Burridge has the Chair of Linguistics at Monash University. She has thoroughly researched changes in vocabulary and grammar, linguistic taboo, and the structure and history of English. She has written and edited more than twenty books on different aspects of language, has regular segments on ABC Radio and 3AW, and was a weekly pannelist on the ABC's television program 'Can We Help?'. A selection of her books can be purchased here: https://www.amazon.com/Books-Kate-Burridge/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3AKate+Burridge https://research.monash.edu/en/persons/kathryn-burridge   The theme song 'Zaftik' was composed and performed by Nelson Rufatt.

In this episode, Nelson recites two of his poems — 'Bellerophon' and 'For Bix Beiderbecke', both of which were published in the June issue of Quadrant. The phrases 'a sequence of desolate exuberance' and 'playful grief', are taken from Clive James's essay on Beiderbecke, in 'Cultural Amnesia'. Bix, playing the song 'I'm Coming Virginia': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oW7YYt0F-K4 Louis Armstrong Remembers Bix Beiderbecke: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ng20NdShee4 The theme song 'Zaftik', and the poems quoted in this episode, were composed and written by Nelson Rufatt.

Nelson speaks an impassioned essay about, for, in defence of, Salman Rushdie, his life, and his prose. And — it can never be argued for often enough — enlightenment, and freedom of expression. It is dedicated to Rushdie, and to his family. May he and they live long.   You can buy ‘The Satanic Verses’ here: https://www.angusrobertson.com.au/books/the-satanic-verses-salman-rushdie/p/9780963270702?gclid=CjwKCAjwyaWZBhBGEiwACslQo22fy26-ZdDykLTR4maJcRj4-cwRBruKmwOd74DjqSDUj9eOUa6SixoCbuEQAvD_BwE   What Are the Satanic Verses https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlalmIjDhr8   The Robertson-Islam Interview:  https://www.abc.net.au/news/2010-05-31/34730   This episode was produced by Johnathan Craig. The theme song is 'Zaftik' and was composed and performed by Nelson Rufatt.

Nelson reflects on the Sydney Theatre Company's production of 'A Picture of Dorian Gray', which he saw at the Playhouse in Melbourne in early August. Authenticity, art, myth, and music, are pampered, prodded, and inverted in this episode. This episode was produced by Johnathan Craig. The theme song is 'Zaftik' and was composed and performed by Nelson Rufatt.

Intimacy is being abolished. Or so says Counterturn's host Nelson Rufatt, with his tongue in and around his cheek.

Nelson and Peter continue their discussion of poetry, and Jewishness. How do Jewish poetry and mysticism balance ironic scepticism with religious feeling? And what the hell's wrong with rhyme anyway? This conversation took place between Nelson Rufatt, and poet, teacher, and translator of Hebrew and Arabic, Peter Cole. Cole's riveting books of poetry include 'Rift', 'Things On Which I've Stumbled', 'Hymns and Qualms', and 'The Invention of Influence'. He has written celebrated translations of medieval and Kabbalistic Hebrew poetry, as well as of works by Hebrew and Arabic-speaking poets such as Aharon Shabtai, Yoel Hoffman, and Taha Muhammad Ali. Among his many prizes are a MacArthur Fellowship, the PEN Award for Poetry in Translation, and an award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He teaches Comparative Religion at Yale University, and lives sometimes in Jerusalem, sometimes in New Haven, Connecticut. His books can be purchased at http://ibiseditions.com/petercole/ The theme song is 'Zaftik' was composed and performed by Nelson Rufatt.