Once again it's Karen's (Kaggsy's Bookish Rambling) and Simon's (Stuck in a Book) "Year Club" week. This time the year is 1937, and it runs from today, 15th to 21st April. As I've been doing for a while now, I am devoting my Monday Musings to the week. If the 1960s, from which our last … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: 1937 in fiction
Monday musings
Monday musings on Australian literature: The mysterious 6×8
In a long past Monday Musings I mentioned the names of several people who had commented on the state of Australian literature. Many of these were pseudonyms, including the intriguingly named "6x8". I decided to dig further, and back in 2015, I pretty quickly discovered that his "real" name was Dick Holt. (It's not always easy to track down … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: The mysterious 6×8
Monday musings on Australian literature: Vale Yasmine Gooneratne (1935-2024)
It was through the Jane Austen Society of Australia's (JASA) newsletter, Practicalities, that I learned of the death of Yasmine Gooneratne, a woman with whom I have crossed paths - one way or another - three times. She was an academic at Macquarie University, where I did my undergraduate degree; she wrote a novel, A … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Vale Yasmine Gooneratne (1935-2024)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Trove treasures (11), A short list of masterpieces of fiction
Today's post is not especially Australian, but it was published in Australian newspapers as a recommended list of "masterpieces" or classics for Australians to read. It is in that sense that I am posting it in my Monday Musings series! The list was published in 1910, with the heading "Best novels: A short list of … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Trove treasures (11), A short list of masterpieces of fiction
Monday musings on Australian literature: Blak and Bright, 2024
Eight years ago, I wrote a post about a new festival called Blak and Bright, which was described at the time as "the debut event of the Victorian Indigenous Literary Festival". I am thrilled to find that eight years later, this festival is still going strong. So often festivals, and literary initiatives in general, appear … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Blak and Bright, 2024
Monday musings on Australian literature: Stella Book of the Month
Most readers here know the origins of the the Stella Prize. I have written about it many times before, but it was in my post on the inaugural longlist in 2013 that I described its origins and goals in a little detail. I wrote then that: The award was created by a group of 11 … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Stella Book of the Month
Monday musings on Australian literature: Lothian Book Publishing Company
As I research for my 1924 Monday Musings series, I am coming across articles that don't neatly fit into 1924-dedicated posts but that I want to document. The most recent one concerned the Lothian Book Publishing Company. It was about a specific initiative, which I will discuss at the end of this post, but I … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Lothian Book Publishing Company
Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 3, Marion Simons
Back in 2021, I started a Monday Musings sub-series on forgotten Australian writers, but to date have only written on two - Helen Simpson and Eliza Hamilton Dunlop. I have been intending to get back to it and with this year's slight revamp of Elizabeth Lhuede's and my contributions to the Australian Women Writers blog, … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 3, Marion Simons
Monday musings on Australian literature: Secrets from the Green Room
I have planned to write about the Secrets from the Green Room podcast series pretty much since it started in late 2020, but for one reason or another time has got away from me and here we are, some four years later ... and I'm finally there. The good thing is that it is still … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Secrets from the Green Room
Monday musings on Australian literature: Gloomy books
As I did last year for 1923, I plan a series of posts through this year about Australian literature in the year 1924. What I write about will be driven by what I find. So far, I've found articles on the Platypus Series, but I wrote about that inititiative last year, and of course about … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Gloomy books
Whispering Gums 