"Some people believe in religion. Well, I believe in stories." So says Ren to his friend Sonny late in Tony Birch's third novel Ghost River. Ren and Sonny are two young adolescent boys who live in Melbourne's old inner-city suburb of Collingwood. It is the late 1960s, when Collingwood was a largely blue-collar neighbourhood. Ghost River is a novel … Continue reading Tony Birch, Ghost River (Review)
Australian literature
Stella Prize 2016 Shortlist
Around a month ago, I announced this year's longlist for Stella Prize ... and now I bring you the short list. It must have been such a difficult choice and I'm sure all the books longlisted deserved to be shortlisted - but there can only be 6, and here they are: Six bedrooms by Tegan … Continue reading Stella Prize 2016 Shortlist
Monday musings on Australian literature: Spotlight on David Malouf
A couple of weeks ago I published the first of a number of posts which I'm planning to write using Annette Marfording's Celebrating Australian Writing: Conversations with Australian Authors as starting point. That post was on the first interview in the book, Robert Dessaix. I decided that my second post would be on one of my favourite Aussie writers - you could call … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Spotlight on David Malouf
Monday musings on Australian literature: Some Australian screenwriters
Funny things sure do happen sometimes. I decided on the weekend that, with my comment about screenwriters in my post on Hail, Caesar and with the Oscars being screened today, Monday (downunder time), that I would devote this post to screenwriters. Then, I turned on the TV to look at the Oscars, and guess what? They … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Some Australian screenwriters
Kate Jennings, Moral hazard (Review)
How often do you read a book that connects in some ways with something you've recently read or thought about? Kate Jennings' award-winning Moral hazard, my latest read, links pretty directly to our discussion about autobiographical fiction in my Monday Musings post on Robert Dessaix two weeks ago. Dessaix, you may remember, criticised Garner's The spare room (and other works) arguing she was just … Continue reading Kate Jennings, Moral hazard (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Blak and Bright
I should have written about the Blak and Bright last Monday, as the Festival was held last weekend, but unfortunately I only heard about it - my inattention, I'm sure - a few days ago, via an ABC RN program (which you can listen to online). However, although the actual Festival is now over, I think it's still … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Blak and Bright
Delicious descriptions: Gerald Murnane’s landscape and imagination
A couple of years ago I reviewed Gerald Murnane's The plains. I found it a mesmerising book, but a challenging one to fully get my head around, to grasp and hang onto what I'd grasped. Then a couple of days ago, I reviewed his memoir, Something for the pain: A memoir of the turf. It … Continue reading Delicious descriptions: Gerald Murnane’s landscape and imagination
Monday musings on Australian literature: Spotlight on Robert Dessaix
Last year, I published a guest post by Annette Marfording, who was, for many years, the Program Director of the Bellingen Readers and Writers Festival. At the time of this post, she had just self-published her book, Celebrating Australian Writing: Conversations with Australian Authors, containing a selection of interviews she'd conducted over many years with a wide range of … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Spotlight on Robert Dessaix
Stella Prize 2016 Longlist
The announcement of the Stella Prize Longlist is a red-letter day for the Australian Women Writers Challenge ... and also for me of course. So, today, I share the list with you. The shortlist will be announced on March 10. The judges look good to me: writer Emily Maguire, memoirist/essayist Alice Pung, author/academic Brenda Walker, … Continue reading Stella Prize 2016 Longlist
Monday musings on Australian literature: National Libraries Day (UK)
Caroline of Book Word blog has written a wonderful post about National Libraries Day in the UK, which took place just this last weekend, on Saturday, 6th February. Caroline provides three witnesses to argue for the value of libraries: Peter Balaba, Head Librarian, Nakaseke Community Library, Uganda, who talks about the outreach programs they provide in a book-poor … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: National Libraries Day (UK)
Whispering Gums 