Recently I wrote a post about reading difficult novels and proposed categories for different sorts of "difficulties". One of those categories was "emotionally confronting", but I realise now that a better category would have been "emotionally and/or intellectually confronting". By intellectually confronting I don't mean challenging in terms of style, language, structure, but in terms … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Confronting Australian novels
Monday musings
Monday musings on Australian literature: The Bread and Cheese Club, again
I promise that this, my third post on Melbourne's now defunct Bread and Cheese Club will also be my last, but it was such an interesting club that I can't resist one more post. Just to remind you, it was formed in 1938, with the following goals: To promote mateship and fellowship among persons of mutual interests, to … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: The Bread and Cheese Club, again
Monday musings on Australian literature: White writers on Indigenous Australians
Over the years I've read many books written by white Australian writers on indigenous Australians*, including Mrs Aeneas Gunn's We of the Never Never, Nene Gare's The fringe dwellers, Thomas Keneally's The chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, Kate Grenville's The secret river, Peter Temple's The broken shore, and several books by Thea Astley. Later this week I'll be reviewing another, … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: White writers on Indigenous Australians
Monday musings on Australian literature: Bread and Cheese Club and Indigenous Australians
Since last week's Monday Musings post on Melbourne's curious, but now defunct, Bread and Cheese Club, I've been doing further research into its various activities, and have found it to be an amazingly vibrant organisation. The club's motto was "Mateship, Art and Letters" and a major focus seemed to have been Australian writers. Certainly its … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Bread and Cheese Club and Indigenous Australians
Monday musings on Australian literature: The Bread and Cheese Club
I bet that title has you wondering! It was certainly new to me when I came across a book in my late mother-in-law's collection titled Fellows all: The chronicles of the Bread and Cheese Club. Published in 1943, and written by HW Malloch, this book is a history of the early years of the club … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: The Bread and Cheese Club
Monday musings on Australian literature: Australia’s difficult novels
A week or so ago I wrote a post about reading difficult novels. As I researched that post, I came across many lists of difficult novels, including the one I included at the end of the post. The interesting thing is that none of the lists I saw included any Australian novels, and yet they … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Australia’s difficult novels
Monday musings on Australian literature: Here come the men!
Women really have dominated the literary awards season in Australia over the last two years. In 2012, the majority of the awards were won by Anna Funder with All that I am and Gillian Mears with Foal's bread. Last year it was mostly Michelle de Kretser with Questions of travel and Carrie Tiffany with Mateship … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Here come the men!
Monday musings on Australian literature: Top Aussie book sales in 2013
This is, I suppose, another end of year round-up post - but one about bookselling in Australia, which is something I don't usually write much about. However, since many of us love lists, I thought I'd share with you Australia's top selling books for 2103: Jeff Kinney: Hard luck: Diary of a wimpy kid (UK, … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Top Aussie book sales in 2013
Monday musings on Australian literature: Australian Women Writers’ Challenge 2013
As last year, I'm devoting my last Monday Musings for 2013 to the Australian Women Writers Challenge. This challenge, instigated by Elizabeth Lhuede in response to growing concern in Australian literary circles about lack of recognition for women writers, was so successful in 2012 that Elizabeth, with the help of a team of volunteers, decided to continue … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Australian Women Writers’ Challenge 2013
Monday musings on Australian literature: Translated fiction, Australian-style
Having just read and reviewed Linda Jaivin's Quarterly essay, Lost in translation: In praise of a plural world, I thought I'd research the state of translated fiction in Australia. Jaivin doesn't spend a lot of time of this particular issue, but in her concluding plea she says: Publishers need to consider how to prise open … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Translated fiction, Australian-style
