By Daniel Keane, ABC News
Photo: RNZ
Literary festivals promote conversation but are sometimes the subject of heated discussion and debate even before they've begun.
The furore over the 2026 Adelaide Writers' Week (AWW) is, from one perspective, merely the latest chapter in the long story of Australian literary controversy - a story that also includes the infamous 1995 Demidenko Affair and the 1944 Ern Malley hoax.
But for those involved, the current controversy has taken on the proportions of a crisis.
The decision to axe scheduled speaker and author Randa Abdel-Fattah from this year's program has prompted an avalanche of withdrawals, with dozens of other authors pulling out in protest - an outcome that has left the event teetering.
Here's a look at how the events have unfolded, and how they could continue to unfold.
Who is Randa Abdel-Fattah?
Randa Abdel-Fattah is an Australian researcher, novelist and lawyer who holds a doctorate in sociology and an academic position at Sydney's Macquarie University.
Described by Macquarie as one of "Australia's most prominent Palestine advocates", her research covers Islamophobia, race, the war on terror and social activism.
She has been a vocal and at times controversial critic of Israel.
Photo: Jennifer Wong / ABC News
Abdel-Fattah - who has an Egyptian mother and Palestin
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