Yesterday, as I was trying to untangle a curly identification for my next Australian Women Writers blog post, I came across an interesting article in The Brisbane Courier. Published on 15 October 1927, and penned by one W.M., the 1300-word article is titled "Queensland Women Writers: Poets and Novelists". Of course, it caught my attention, … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Queensland’s women writers, 1920s
Monday musings
Monday musings on Australian literature: Trove treasures (12), A rare humorous novel
I was unsure about whether to make this post part of my Trove Treasures or Forgotten Writers series, but Wikipedia tells me that in 2006, the historian John Hirst, writing in The Monthly, included this author's book, The colonial Australians, in a brief list of the best Australian history books of all-time. That probably means … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Trove treasures (12), A rare humorous novel
Monday musings on Australian literature: Reading groups aka bookgroups
Many litbloggers, I know, also belong to reading groups or bookgroups. (I use the terms interchangeably.) Jonathan (Me fail? I fly!) regularly writes engaging posts about his groups and their discussions, such as this most recent one on Paul Murray's The bee sting. And I often refer to mine, though not with the same detail … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Reading groups aka bookgroups
Monday musings on Australian literature: Stella Prize 2024 Winner
The 2024 Stella Prize winner was announced last Thursday, the 2nd of May, but that was the also the day my blog turned 15, and I didn't want to flood cyberspace with too many posts. Then this weekend was the SixDegrees meme which meant another post coming at you. So, I decided to do my … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Stella Prize 2024 Winner
Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 4, Kate Helen Weston
In 2021, I started my Monday Musings sub-series on forgotten Australian writers, with posts on Helen Simpson and Eliza Hamilton Dunlop. This year I added Marion Simons, who was my first post on the Australian Women Writers (AWW) blog this year. As I explained then, Elizabeth Lhuede and I have decided to focus this year … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 4, Kate Helen Weston
Monday musings on Australian literature: 1937 in fiction (2) – and Trove
Karen's (Kaggsy's Bookish Rambling) and Simon's (Stuck in a Book) "Year Club" officially finished yesterday, but I focused so much in last week's post on the issue of the state of Australian criticism, that I didn't get to share some other ideas I found. So, I've decided to bookend the week with Monday Musings posts! … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: 1937 in fiction (2) – and Trove
Monday musings on Australian literature: 1937 in fiction
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 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
Whispering Gums 