Raising my consciousness: Thoughts of a reader on International Women’s Day

I am not, and never have been, scared to use the "F" word - that is, I call myself a Feminist. My philosophy is a simple one: women are not the SAME as men, but women deserve EQUAL rights and respect as men. This is not to say that the interpretation and application of this … Continue reading Raising my consciousness: Thoughts of a reader on International Women’s Day

Monday musings on Australian literature: Australian Living Treasures

Over the weekend, the list of Australian Living Treasures was updated. This has to happen every now then because, you know, our living treasures have a habit of dying eventually, which rather disqualifies them from the list! I've chosen to write this post this week for two reasons. The most obvious one is the updating … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Australian Living Treasures

Yan Lianke, Dream of Ding village (Review for Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize, 2011)

As I started reading Yan Lianke's Dream of Ding Village, I was reminded of a favourite novel of mine, Albert Camus' The plague. However, as I read on, the similarity started to fade - or, perhaps it's just that the particularity of Lianke's conception took over. Both books explore a community living with a highly contagious, … Continue reading Yan Lianke, Dream of Ding village (Review for Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize, 2011)