Ilka Tampke
author teacher
How to Love the World to be released in May 2026.
Early Praise:
“A fierce, tender, unflinchingly honest novel about motherhood, selfhood, the meaning of home and the fragile miracle of being alive. Compelling, wise and impossible to forget. I adored it.” — Emily Maguire
“How To Love The World is a remarkable book. It conveys a tender love for Country and family, while recognising the destructive potential of both. This is also a story of courage and nail-biting drama. Ilka Tampke is a writer who deeply values language and storytelling. This is a book that will not leave you.” — Tony Birch
“A soaring hymn of praise - to motherhood, to nature, to the fragility of human existence.” — Sian Prior
Ilka Tampke is an award-winning author, academic and teacher. Her first two novels explore the druidic culture of Ancient Britain and its disruption by Roman colonisation. Skin was published in eight countries and nominated for the Voss Literary Prize and the Aurealis Awards in 2015. Songwoman was published in five countries and won the Small Press Network Book of the Year Award in 2019. Her third novel, set in contemporary Australia, will be published in 2026. Ilka lives in the Macedon Ranges of Victoria.
“‘Vivid world-building, a seamless blend of research and imagination, and the heightened lexicon of fantasy lend a beguiling lustre to this Iron Age saga.’.”
Review of Skin — The Age