Katabasis Katabasis

In Conversation with RF Kuang

Katabasis
12 May
BOOK

ABOUT THE SHOW

Anyone who’s spent time in academia will relish fantasy queen RF Kuang’s latest novel, a gleefully dark and inventive journey into the literal hellscape of the modern university. In Katabasis, two postgraduate students must overcome their bitter rivalry and venture into the underworld to save the soul of their late thesis supervisor, and thus save their own fledgling careers – but at what cost?

Hear one of genre fiction’s most captivating and imaginative writers discuss this wildly entertaining and whipsmart tale with Rhianna Patrick.

Book cover for Katabasis by RF Kuang - Brisbane Powerhouse, featuring surreal, interlocking staircases, a cat, a person walking, and a gold banner with the title. The top reads To Hell With Love against a black and gold background.
The cover of Babel by RF Kuang features ornate, vertically arranged letters spelling BABEL over a grayscale illustration of an old city with spires. A gold sticker marks it as Book of the Year—perfect for fans attending RF Kuang at Brisbane Powerhouse.
Bright yellow book cover featuring expressive, illustrated eyes with bold black eyeliner. The title YELLOWFACE by RF Kuang stands out, plus a Reese’s Book Club sticker. Catch RF Kuang at Brisbane Powerhouse for more on this acclaimed novel.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Rebecca F. Kuang is a Marshall Scholar, Chinese-English translator, and the Astounding Award-winning and the Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and World Fantasy Award nominated author of The Poppy War trilogy and Babel. Her work has won the Crawford Award and the Compton Crook Award for Best First Novel. She has an MPhil in Chinese Studies from Cambridge and an MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies from Oxford; she is now pursuing a PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale.

Rhianna Patrick is a Torres Strait Islander journalist, broadcaster and writer. 

BOOK

PERFORMANCE DATES & TIMES

Tue 12 May 2026
7:45PM

VENUE

Powerhouse Theatre

TICKETS

A RESERVE
$59*
A RESERVE CONCESSION
$55*
B RESERVE
$49*
B RESERVE CONCESSION
$45*
C RESERVE
$39*
C RESERVE CONCESSION
$35*
*$7.20 transaction fee applies to all ticket purchases

DURATION

60 minutes
There is a full lockout for this performance and latecomers will not be permitted.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Suitable for 15+

18 months and under free on the knee; all other ages must hold a valid ticket

ACCESSIBILITY

  • wheelchair_accessible
Presented by Brisbane Writers Festival

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Rebecca F. Kuang is a Marshall Scholar, Chinese-English translator, and the Astounding Award-winning and the Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and World Fantasy Award nominated author of The Poppy War trilogy and Babel. Her work has won the Crawford Award and the Compton Crook Award for Best First Novel. She has an MPhil in Chinese Studies from Cambridge and an MSc in Contemporary Chinese Studies from Oxford; she is now pursuing a PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale.

Rhianna Patrick is a Torres Strait Islander journalist, broadcaster and writer.