Of all the writers I've researched for the AWW project, Beatrice Grimshaw is among the most documented, with articles in the Australian Dictionary of Biography (ADB) and Wikipedia, among others. And yet, she is little known today. This post, like most of my recent Forgotten Writers posts, draws on the one I posted on AWW. However, I … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 17, Beatrice Grimshaw
Monday musings
Monday musings on Australian literature: Walter Scott Prize
Some of you will have come across the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction already. Brona (This Reading Life) recently posted on it, and I have mentioned it in passing a few times on this blog. Wikipedia provides good overview, as does the Prize's own website, so I am sharing information from both these sites. … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Walter Scott Prize
Monday musings on Australian literature: Trove treasures (16), Garrulity and Gracelessness in AusLit
(Courtesy OCAL, via clker.com) Another post in my Monday Musings subseries called Trove Treasures, in which I share stories or comments, serious or funny, that I come across during my Trove travels. Today's story popped up during my research for a post on Beatrice Grimshaw for the Australian Women Writers blog. It stunned me, and … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Trove treasures (16), Garrulity and Gracelessness in AusLit
Monday musings on Australian literature: Precarity and Late Capitalism
Over the years I have written posts about and reviews of books with strong socioeconomic underpinnings. In the nineteenth century these novels tended to be described as Social Novels (and I am have just an English one for reading group, review coming) or were seen under the banner of the Realist movement. In the early … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Precarity and Late Capitalism
Monday musings on Australian literature: Invasion Day/Australia Day (2026)
It's Monday, and I did have a post planned, until I remembered that this Monday has a very particular date, 26th January. So, I decided to postpone that post in order to make a brief statement about this date which, for many decades, has been designated Australia Day. And we have a public holiday in … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Invasion Day/Australia Day (2026)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Eco-literature, Redux
Nearly five years ago, I wrote a Monday Musings on a branch of writing dubbed "eco-literature". Since then I have reviewed a few works that I have tagged "eco-literature", including, just yesterday, Jessica White's collection of essays, Silence is my habitat: Ecobiographical essays. Coincidentally, a couple of weeks ago, critic/artistic director/literary judge Beejay Silcox sent … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Eco-literature, Redux
Monday musings on Australian literature: Why festivals?
I did have another plan for today's Monday Musings, but it seemed wrong to ignore the elephant in the room, that is, the dire situation facing the Adelaide Festival's Writers Week. Australians will not need me to explain what has happened, but for those of you not across the events, I'll briefly explain. The Adelaide … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Why festivals?
Monday musings on Australian literature: Some New Releases in 2026
For some years now, my first Monday Musings of the year has comprised a selected list of new Australian book releases for the coming year. For many years, the bulk of this post came from a comprehensive list prepared by Jane Sullivan for the Sydney Morning Herald. Last year that changed to something more selective, … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Some New Releases in 2026
Monday musings on Australian literature: Favourite books 2025, Pt 2: Nonfiction
Last Monday, I shared the favourite Fiction and Poetry books that had been chosen by various critics and commentators in a select number of sources. I haven't always shared the nonfiction choices, though I do think it's worth doing - so this year I am! I won't repeat the intro from last week, but I … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Favourite books 2025, Pt 2: Nonfiction
Monday musings on Australian literature: Favourite books 2025, Pt 1: Fiction and Poetry
Around this time of December, I have, for some years, shared favourite Aussie reads of the year from various sources. Those sources have varied a little from time to time. This year's are listed below. This is not a scientific survey. For a start, the choosers' backgrounds vary. Depending on the source, they may include … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Favourite books 2025, Pt 1: Fiction and Poetry
Whispering Gums 