Have you read any flash fiction? Some of the pieces in Pulse would qualify but, besides this, I hadn't read much until I picked up Angela Meyer's collection Captives, which I bought for my Kindle last year. I bought it for a few reasons: I enjoyed and reviewed the short story collection she edited, The great unknown; I follow her blog Literary Minded; and … Continue reading Angela Meyer, Captives (Review)
Author: Whispering Gums
Monday musings on Australian literature: Dymphna Cusack
It's been nearly a year since I devoted a Monday Musings post to a specific author, my last one being Barbara Baynton last June. It seemed like time for another one, and Dymphna Cusack (1902-1981), I decided, could do with a little push. Best known for her collaborative novel, Come in spinner (1951, with Florence James), Cusack was, in fact, a prolific … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Dymphna Cusack
Delicious descriptions: Dymphna Cusack’s Sydney
I said in my recent review of Dymphna Cusacks' debut novel Jungfrau that I'd share some of her descriptions of Sydney because her evocation of the colours, the light, the sounds and the scent of the city are just gorgeous. Sydney, as you probably know, is regarded as one of Australia's most beautiful cities with its harbour, … Continue reading Delicious descriptions: Dymphna Cusack’s Sydney
Dymphna Cusack, Jungfrau (Review)
Are there some historical periods that particularly fascinate you? There are for me, and one of those is that between the two world wars. It was a complex time encompassing both economic hardship and great social change. A time when many of those Victorian era constraints were being lifted and women, in particular, were starting to enjoy … Continue reading Dymphna Cusack, Jungfrau (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: On labelling writers
Today's post was inspired by a tweet from Aminatta Forna which led me to an article she'd written titled "Don't judge a book by its author". The Guardian led the article with the following pull quote: I have never met a writer who wishes to be described as a female writer, gay writer, black writer, Asian writer … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: On labelling writers
Aminatta Forna, The hired man (Review)
Early in Aminatta Forna's The hired man, the narrator Duro is told by his old, ex-best friend Krešimir, "People have moved on, Duro. Maybe you should too". At this point we are not sure exactly what they have moved on from but we guess it might have something to do with war - and as … Continue reading Aminatta Forna, The hired man (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Reading Australian literature
Reading Australian Literature is a lecture series inaugurated at the University of Sydney last year by its School of Letters, Arts and Media. The idea is for writers to talk about a literary text that means something to them. Here is how the website describes it: Writers’ festivals and other popular forums invite writers to talk about … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Reading Australian literature
I spent Anzac with the Griffyns
While other Aussies were attending dawn services, or watching almost 24/7 ANZAC broadcasts on the box, this ANZAC Day, Mr Gums and I chose to remember it by going to the Griffyn Ensemble's The Dirty Red Digger concert, which was devised by their musical director Michael Sollis. Even more audacious than usual, Sollis managed to create a thoughtful show … Continue reading I spent Anzac with the Griffyns
Jane Rawson, A wrong turn at the Office of Unmade Lists (Review)
The weirdest thing happened when I put down Jane Rawson's debut novel, A wrong turn at the Office of Unmade Lists: I started imagining things! This is weird because I'm not a particularly imaginative or fanciful person, so it must have been this book that did it. Let me explain ... First though, I need to say that I've … Continue reading Jane Rawson, A wrong turn at the Office of Unmade Lists (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Social media reviewing
I've been a bit distracted lately by life and so missed an article which appeared a few days ago in the online journal, The Conversation. Luckily, there's Twitter, so I didn't miss it entirely! Isn't social media grand? Except, of course, when you botch it. And this is where this article I nearly missed comes in ... … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Social media reviewing
Whispering Gums 