A straightforward post this week, and one shared in the spirit that readers love lists of books. This list is not Australian (despite my posting it in my Monday Musings series) but it was shared in multiple Australian newspapers in 1910 which makes it part of Australia's literary history, don't you think? The list was … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Masterpieces of fiction, 1910-style
Monday musings
Monday musings on Australian literature: Thoughts on literature’s moral purpose
I struggled with titling this post because I don't want it to sound like a thoroughly thought through treatise on the topic. However, I jettisoned my original plan for today's post to respond to Angela Savage's question on my CWF post on the Robbie Arnott interview because it seemed worth exploring. If you haven't read … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Thoughts on literature’s moral purpose
Monday musings on Australian literature: Australian literary biographies (2, poets)
Eight years ago, I wrote a Monday Musings on Australian literary biographies, but the main focus there was on novelists. With this month being National Poetry Month and with, coincidentally, this year's National Biography Award going to a biography of a poet, it seemed a match made in heaven. In other words, it seemed appropriate … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Australian literary biographies (2, poets)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Poetry Month 2023
This year Red Room Poetry is running their third annual National Poetry Month. How excellent is that? I don't know how successful it is at reaching its goal of increasing "access, awareness and visibility of poetry in all its forms and for all audiences" but sometimes you just have to hang in there and build … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Poetry Month 2023
Monday musings on Australian literature: Miles Franklin Award 2023 Shadow Jury
Some of you have probably heard of "shadow juries". I took part in one a decade ago, for the now defunct Man Asian Literary Prize. It was great, but I haven't taken part in any blogger-inspired shadow juries again because of the time commitment needed. If I was already impressed by the work of literary … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Miles Franklin Award 2023 Shadow Jury
Monday musings on Australian literature: on 1923: 6, A postal controversy
Who would have thought that the cost of postage would generate controversy in the book world? And the sorts of issues that would be raised as a result? (Courtesy OCAL, via clker.com) In my research of Trove for book-related issues in 1923, I came across a letter to the editor opposing some proposed changes in … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: on 1923: 6, A postal controversy
Monday musings on Australian literature: Weird fiction
All being well, my next post - or, a very near future one - will be on Chris Flynn's astonishing short story collection, Here be Leviathans. As I was reading it, I came quite serendipitously across Nina Culley's article titled "Weird is in", in Kill Your Darlings*. The article references Chris Flynn's collection and some … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Weird fiction
Monday musings on Australian literature: Trove treasures (10), On short novels
As I've said before in this series, not all the "treasures" I find, particularly those from the 19th and early 20th centuries, are specifically Australian, but I justify them because in those colonial and early post-colonial times English content tended to reign supreme. This post was inspired by my serendipitously coming across an article praising … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Trove treasures (10), On short novels
Monday musings on Australian literature: First Nations Australian non-fiction
Since 2013, I have devoted the Monday Musings that occurs in NAIDOC Week to a First Nations topic. This year I've chosen First Nations Australian non-fiction. I have previously written Monday Musings on biographies, autobiographies and memoirs by First Nations writers, but what about other sorts of non-fiction? Before I get to that though, a bit about … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: First Nations Australian non-fiction
Monday musings on Australian literature: A question about things
A different sort of Monday Musings this week ... My reading group's June book is Edwina Preston's Bad art mother, which was published by Wakefield Press last year and which I'll be reviewing soon. (If you don't know it and are interested, you can check out Lisa's review.) It was shortlisted this year for the … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: A question about things
Whispering Gums 