... figuratively speaking, of course! The Griffyn Ensemble commenced their 2015 season in fine style, with guest artist, Chinese pipa player, Professor Zhang Hongyan. As always, the concert had a theme, evident from its title, Whitlam in China (and the development of friendly relations between our two countries). It was a tightly performed, well conceived and thoroughly … Continue reading The Griffyns go to China with Gough
Author: Whispering Gums
Stella Prize 2015 Longlist
As a team-member of the Australian Women Writers' Challenge, I'm particularly interested in the Stella Prize, which, as you probably know, is a prize limited to Australian women writers. The great thing about it, though, is what it isn't limited to - and that is form and genre. The first winner in 2013 was a … Continue reading Stella Prize 2015 Longlist
Monday musings on Australian literature: Capital men novelists
It's been a year since I wrote my post on Capital women novelists, the third in my series on Canberra's writers. (The other two were Capital women and Capital men poets.) Today I am finally getting to the male novelists. I'll start in a round-about way with a local controversy. Last year, the ACT government changed the … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Capital men novelists
On understanding the arts
Earlier this year I wrote a post about reading difficult literature. I said that I like to be challenged by literature, and discussed the features that define "difficulty" for me. Since then I've come across various statements, some contradictory, about the role of "difficulty" in the arts - and I thought I'd share them with … Continue reading On understanding the arts
John Clanchy, Six: New tales (Review)
John Clanchy, like Julian Davies whose Crow mellow I recently reviewed, is another Australian writer I'd heard of but not read until his piece in the Canberra centenary anthology, The invisible thread. What a treasure trove that has turned out to be! Anyhow, titled "The gunmen", Clanchy's contribution was an excerpt from his first novel, The life … Continue reading John Clanchy, Six: New tales (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Debating Australian literature in 1908
Browsing digitised papers via National Library's Trove yet again, I came across an intriguing 1908 article by Page Twenty-Seven columnist Norman Lilley. I gather that Lilley had made some pronouncements on Australian literature which had garnered some strong opinions. I haven't searched hard for the original statements but we don't necessarily need them to enjoy Lilley's report of the ensuing … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Debating Australian literature in 1908
Pulse: First 2014 (Review)
Now here's the thing. I'm a librarian by training, so I have certain expectations of how publications are titled, and Pulse, I must say, confused me. However, we librarians also know that publishers and writers don't care about our rules; they just do what appeals to them! Fair enough. They're the creators after all. Still, when I see … Continue reading Pulse: First 2014 (Review)
Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and punishment (Review, hmm)
Part way through my reading of Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and punishment I wrote in my book - because, yes, I am a marginalia writer - "Who does Dostoevsky agree with?" It's a somewhat naive question, I know, because the author doesn't have to agree with anyone - and very often doesn't. You just have to look at Humbert … Continue reading Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and punishment (Review, hmm)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Nettie Palmer on “Our Own Writers”
Today, I'm going to return to writing about early twentieth century Australian literature. Last year I wrote several Monday Musings on the topic, including two (Part 1 and Part 2) based on an article written by Nettie Palmer in 1927. Today's post draws from an article Palmer wrote in 1935. It covers some similar ground, but from … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Nettie Palmer on “Our Own Writers”
Delicious descriptions: Julian Davies on reading
A couple of weeks ago I reviewed Julian Davies' Crow mellow. It's an enjoyable and at times provocative read. I'd love to share many descriptions and scenes from it but, since this is a reader's blog, I've decided to share some thoughts relevant to my focus made by the main character, poet Phil Day. Much … Continue reading Delicious descriptions: Julian Davies on reading
