Nathan Dunne

Nathan Dunne is the author of When Nothing Feels Real (Murdoch Books, 2025). The book is a memoir about living with depersonalisation, a mental illness that is frequently misunderstood.

Dunne was born in Brisbane, Australia and grew up in India. After graduating from the University of Sydney with the University Medal, he studied art history at Cambridge University and received a PhD from Birkbeck College, University of London. He has lectured at Harvard and Yale, and also worked for several years at Tate Modern.

As a journalist and critic, Dunne has contributed to many publications, including The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Boston Globe, The Guardian, Slate, Los Angeles Review of Books, Literary Hub, Catapult, The Irish Times, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, The Brooklyn Rail, Times Literary Supplement, Film Comment, Monocle, NME, Radical Philosophy, Aeon and Artforum. He has reported stories from four continents on a range of cultural and historical topics, from a museum in Armenia to a heavy metal band living in the Simpson desert.

Dunne’s short stories have been published in The Dublin Review, Meanjin and Quadrant. He was also featured in the documentary film Whaam! Blam! Roy Lichtenstein and the Art of Appropriation, available on multiple streaming services.

PRAISE FOR WHEN NOTHING FEELS REAL:

• Guardian Great Read Pick
• The Nile Book of the Month
• ‘Extraordinarily moving’ — Johann Hari
• ‘Thrilling!’ — Mark Haddon
• ‘Powerful’ — Books ＋ Publishing
• ‘Extraordinary’ — Richard Fidler
• ‘Soul–baring’ — Australian Book Review
• ‘Moving’ — The Guardian

A major profile on Dunne’s life and work published in The Guardian
Listen to Dunne’s interview with Richard Fidler on ABC Conversations