While I go to films fairly regularly, I rarely think of adapting books to film when I am reading. However, I was only a few pages into Graeme Simsion's The Rosie project when it occurred to me that it was perfect film material. The feeling got stronger - and then around a third of the … Continue reading Graeme Simsion, The Rosie project (Review)
Author: Whispering Gums
Monday musings on Australian literature: University presses
I was inspired to write this post last year when commenter Wendy Borchers mentioned Catchfire Press and described it as being associated with the University of Newcastle. I'd never heard of it. It is a community-based press primarily run by volunteers, but their covers, they say, are chosen by competition between senior design students at … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: University presses
Anita Heiss, Paris dreaming (Review)
Late last year I wrote a post about the inaugural Canberra Readers' Festival. One of the speakers was indigenous Australian author, academic and activist, Anita Heiss. I wrote then that I bought one of her books. It was her fourth (I think) chick lit novel, Paris dreaming. This might surprise regular readers here, as chick … Continue reading Anita Heiss, Paris dreaming (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: The Stella Prize longlist
Miles Franklin, c. 1940s (Presumed Public Domain, via Wikipedia) I have mentioned the new Stella Prize before but, for those of you who may not be across this new award on the Australian literary scene, here is a brief recap. It is named for Miles Franklin – her full name was Stella Maria Sarah Miles … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: The Stella Prize longlist
Thea Astley, The monstrous accent on youth (Review)
I was going to start this post with that well-known quote by Sophocles - or was it Plato - complaining about the young people of today, but a little bit of research turned up the fact that that quote is somewhat spurious. It was probably inspired by Plato's Republic in which he presents a dialogue … Continue reading Thea Astley, The monstrous accent on youth (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards Hall of Fame
How many Halls of Fame are there specifically for writers? I'm not sure I've come across many, but last year I became aware of the Western Australian Premier's Book Awards Hall of Fame when Tim Winton was inducted into it. The hall of fame is hosted on the State Library of Western Australia website. I'm … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards Hall of Fame
David Foster Wallace, Twenty-four word notes (Review)
David Foster Wallace got me in with the first few words of his essay "Twenty-four word notes". They are: Utilize A noxious puff word. Oh yes! "Utilise" (as we down under spell it) is one of my pet peeves. Why use "utilise" when "use" is a perfectly good word? I regularly mutter. Wallace is a … Continue reading David Foster Wallace, Twenty-four word notes (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Capital male poets
Today's Monday Musings is the second in a series of posts I plan to write this year about Canberra writers to commemorate our centenary. The first post covered Canberra's women poets. Like that post, all the poets mentioned below appear in The invisible thread, Canberra's centenary anthology that I've mentioned before. AD Hope (1907-2000) The … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Capital male poets
Valeria Luiselli, Faces in the crowd (Review)
Mexican writer Valeria Luiselli's Faces in the crowd was, as regular readers here might remember, one of my two Bah Humbook virtual gifts from Stu of Winston's Dad. I ordered it on Christmas Day for my Kindle - after all, it was a Christmas present - and have now read it. Wow, what a read, … Continue reading Valeria Luiselli, Faces in the crowd (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Indigenous Australian literacy
I feel a little uncomfortable being a white person writing on indigenous issues. It's difficult in situations of such immense power imbalance as currently exists between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians not to come across as patronising or a self-congratulatory do-gooder. However, I'm also aware that consciousness needs to be raised and good programs promoted, so … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Indigenous Australian literacy
