My recent review of Simone de Beauvoir's Memoirs of a beautiful daughter was a little dry, focusing on some specific ideas or issues that interested me, rather than on her writing. It's a pretty dense book, containing detailed description of her life and thoughts, but her fearless and often evocative writing carries it. I'd like to share a few … Continue reading More on Simone de Beauvoir’s Memoirs of a dutiful daughter
Month: August 2014
Simone de Beauvoir, Memoirs of a dutiful daughter (Review)
I have only read one other work by Simone de Beauvoir - and I'm ashamed to say that it wasn't The second sex (which still sits in my long-in-the-tooth TBR pile). It was, instead, one of her autobiographical novels, She came to stay. I enjoyed it as I recollect, but that was a long time ago. … Continue reading Simone de Beauvoir, Memoirs of a dutiful daughter (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Nature Writing Prize
You know what they say, too much of a good thing is bad for you, so, to save you dear readers from bad things, I thought we'd take a break this week from my historical survey of Australian literature. And, since I received this morning an email containing a call for submissions for Nature Conservancy Australia's … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Nature Writing Prize
Toshio Mori, Japanese Hamlet (Review)
What I love about the Library of America is the variety of works it features in its Story of the Week program. Because of my interest in Japan and Japanese writers, I was particularly attracted to Toshio Mori's story, "Japanese Hamlet", that they published a couple of weeks ago. Toshio Mori was one of the first Japanese-American … Continue reading Toshio Mori, Japanese Hamlet (Review)
Delicious descriptions: Brooke Davis on salmon gums
In my recent review of Brooke Davis' novel Lost & found I mentioned her descriptions but didn't really give any examples. I can't leave this book without giving you two that involve a rather interesting tree. It also gives me an opportunity to share my photographs of one! They are beautiful (though my photographs don't … Continue reading Delicious descriptions: Brooke Davis on salmon gums
Monday musings on Australian literature: Australian writers in England, 1911
I've devoted a few Monday Musings recently to Australian writers in the first few decades of the twentieth century. I expect to do a few more in coming months, as I'm enjoying the research. Today, I'm drawing from a report of a talk given by Barbara Baynton in Sydney in 1911 to the Writers and Artists Union. The article, … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Australian writers in England, 1911
Brooke Davis, Lost & found (Review)
I must say that my antennae go up when I hear a book being touted as a publishing sensation even before it is published, as Brooke Davis' recently published debut novel Lost & found, was. What does that mean? That it was the subject of a mega-dollar bidding war like, say, Hannah Kent's Burial rites? Well, … Continue reading Brooke Davis, Lost & found (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Australian women writers, 1930s
In July I wrote two posts based on Nettie Palmer's 1920s assessment of great Australian novels. In 1935, another Australian novelist, Zora Cross, wrote an article about Australian women novelists and poets. I enjoy reading these contemporary perspectives, and I think some of you are interested too ... do let me know if you aren't. … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Australian women writers, 1930s
Delicious descriptions: Some thoughts on Ouyang Yu’s language
I didn't get around, in my recent review of Ouyang Yu's novel Diary of a naked official, to discussing his language, so couldn't resist another post. As you would expect in an erotic novel, particularly one framed as a diary, the language is rife with obvious - and consciously so on the part of our … Continue reading Delicious descriptions: Some thoughts on Ouyang Yu’s language
Ouyang Yu, Diary of a naked official (Review)
When I was offered Chinese-born Australian writer Ouyang Yu's latest novel Diary of a naked official to review, I was warned that it is rather graphic. And so it turned out to be, but, not having read Ouyang Yu before, I did want to give it a go. The accompanying publicity sheet describes it as … Continue reading Ouyang Yu, Diary of a naked official (Review)
Whispering Gums 