In part one of our special profile series, Caroline Baum took us from her unconventional London childhood to the offices of British Vogue, the BBC and eventually Australia—before jumping ahead to reveal publicly for the first time why she walked away from her dream job at the ABC's Between the Lines.

Now, we turn the clock back.

By the late 1980s, Baum was beginning to make her mark on Australia's cultural landscape. What followed was a career spanning newspapers, magazines and television: from becoming Features Editor at Vogue Australia to becoming a television presenter alongside the late James Valentine on TVTV.

Then came Between the Lines.

As host of the ABC's landmark books program, Baum established herself as one of Australia's finest arts and literary interviewers, sitting down with some of the most celebrated—and occasionally controversial—writers of the era.

In part two, Caroline joins Tina Quinn to reflect on her encounters with Oliver Sacks, Frank McCourt, Shirley Hazzard and Helen Demidenko, whose literary success became engulfed in controversy over her fabricated Ukrainian identity.

Some interviews ended when the cameras stopped. Margaret Atwood's ended with dinner at Caroline's house.

This is part two of our special three-part conversation with Caroline Baum.

For more on Caroline, pick up a copy of her memoir, Only: A Singular Memoir.

We'd love to hear from you! Email us at fourthestate@2ser.com or follow us at @fourthestateau.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices