2021 National NAIDOC logo. Yesterday was the start of Lisa's (ANZLitLovers) 2021 Indigenous Literature Week which coincides of course with NAIDOC Week, and, again, I've decided to contribute this week's Monday Musings to the cause. The topic I've chosen, the reclamation of First Nations languages, was partly inspired by last week's Monday Musings on Eliza Hamilton … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Recovering Australia’s Indigenous languages (2)
Author: Whispering Gums
Six degrees of separation, FROM Eats shoots and leaves TO …
Now we come to July, and we Aussies have one month of winter under our belt. Woo hoo! But, enough weather report, onto our Six Degrees of Separation meme. If you don't know how it works, please check out meme host Kate's blog - booksaremyfavouriteandbest. The first rule, as most of you know, is that Kate … Continue reading Six degrees of separation, FROM Eats shoots and leaves TO …
Steven Conte, The Tolstoy Estate (#BookReview)
Steven Conte burst on the scene in 2008 when he won the inaugural Prime Minister's Literary Award with his 2007-published debut novel, The zookeeper's war. I always intended to read it but somehow it never happened. Jump to 2020, and Conte's second novel, The Tolstoy Estate, was published. That's a big gap, but what he's … Continue reading Steven Conte, The Tolstoy Estate (#BookReview)
Colin Roderick Award longlist 2021
I wrote about this award in a Monday Musings back in 2012, but haven't mentioned it much since. Roderick, as I explained in that post, is a somewhat controversial character in Australian literature. However, the award is worth $20,000 and encompasses a wide range of forms and genres, both fiction and nonfiction, so, I thought … Continue reading Colin Roderick Award longlist 2021
Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 2, Eliza Hamilton Dunlop
When I started my Monday Musings sub-series on forgotten Australian writers a couple of months ago, I had a few writers in mind, including the first one I did, Helen Simpson. However, a couple of weeks ago, The Conversation published the latest in their Hidden Women of History series, and the subject was an Irish-Australian … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 2, Eliza Hamilton Dunlop
Malcolm Knox, Bluebird (#BookReview)
Malcolm Knox's sixth novel, Bluebird, comes with some impressive endorsements. On the front cover is "Charlotte Wood, author of The weekend", while the back features "Christos Tsiolkas, author of Damascus and The slap" and "Adam Gilchrist, former test cricketer and beach-goer". Hang on, Adam Gilchrist? What the? Some of you will know why, but I … Continue reading Malcolm Knox, Bluebird (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Refugee literature
I had planned another post for this week, but that can wait, as Lisa (ANZLitLovers) has reminded me that it is Refugee Week, and I thought that should take priority. Lisa has posted on a book relevant to the week, and includes in her post a link to a reading list of books she provided … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Refugee literature
Favourite quotes: from Marion Halligan’s Fog Garden
Some time ago, I started a little ad hoc Favourite Quotes series but I haven't added to it for some time. This post, I actually drafted back then, but never got around to completely it, but I will now! One of my favourite Australian writers, though I've only reviewed one of her recent books on my … Continue reading Favourite quotes: from Marion Halligan’s Fog Garden
Miles Franklin Award 2021 shortlist
I haven't posted on the Miles Franklin Award since 2019, and I didn't post this year's longlist when it came out last month, but, despite my woeful record - I've yet to read any on the longlist - I felt it was about time I returned to Australia's best known literary award. Unfortunately, I was … Continue reading Miles Franklin Award 2021 shortlist
Monday musings on Australian literature: Return of The Age Book of the Year
Early in my retirement, I spent quite a bit of time creating and editing articles on Australian literature in Wikipedia. I focused on a couple of subject areas in particular, Australian women writers and Australian literary awards. One of the awards I worked on was the well-regarded The Age Book of the Year Awards. They … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Return of The Age Book of the Year
