https://www.smh.com.au/national/tru...-out-at-peter-fitzsimons-20210207-p570bz.html
A nine-month-old feud between two of the biggest egos in national journalism reignited spectacularly last week when Stan Grant executed a revenge attack on Peter FitzSimons.
Journalists Stan Grant and Peter FitzSimons.CREDIT:JOHN SHAKESPEARE
Previously warm relations between the pair have been up and down since their opinion page fisticuffs last year over FitzSimons’ book on Captain James Cook. Grant took to this paper’s opinion pages to label some parts of the book as “ludicrous”.
Fast forward to last week when Grant contributed a chapter to
The Australian’s progressive murder mystery novel (progressive in its publication schedule, obviously not in its politics), an attempt by the boring broadsheet to liven up the silly season.
Grant set his chapter at “Fitzy and Lisa’s Australia Day barbecue at their grand house overlooking Sydney Harbour” - the home of
The Sydney Morning Herald columnist and his wife,
The Project presenter, Lisa Wilkinson.
“What a woke leftie love-in that was: journos, actors, writers, a couple of ex-Wallabies (well it was the north shore), a few washed up politicians, even a couple of Liberals (small l of course) and a former managing director of the ABC for good measure.
“Everyone there voted yes for same-sex marriage — the year before last, they’d all tearily applauded their first gay married couple guests — they hated the Catholic Church and had cried when Kevin Rudd said sorry.”
Grant’s takedown appeared without the decency of a warning. The pair didn’t speak in the aftermath but did exchange angry texts. Both sounded nonplussed when CBD called.
“It’s fiction, it’s satire. Have a laugh. I mock myself as much as anyone else in it,” Grant said, before hastening off the phone.
“I will leave it for others to judge,” FitzSimons said before hastening off the phone.
Clash of the titans or clash of the titanic egos?
