In my review of Richard Flanagan's The narrow road to the deep north I talked a little about the importance of poetry to some of the main characters. I can't resist sharing just a little more on this topic. This is Dorrigo thinking, at the end of his life, though he doesn't know just how … Continue reading Delicious descriptions: Richard Flanagan on Poetry
Australian literature
My View from Here is over at BookerTalk
Karen who writes the BookerTalk blog asked me to write about reading and writing here in Australia for her inspired View from Here series. If you'd like to read what I wrote, check out my post on her blog. If you're an Aussie, I'm sure Karen would love you to add your own perspectives in the comments, because … Continue reading My View from Here is over at BookerTalk
Monday musings on Australian literature: Some Australian librettists
I've written some long posts recently so have decided to make this one a short one. I have been intrigued in recent years to discover how many Australian novelists and poets have turned their hands to libretti, often adaptations of novels but not always. Some are opera libretti, but others are for other vocal musical … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Some Australian librettists
Richard Flanagan: The narrow road to the deep north (Review)
I love generosity of spirit, the ability to rise above terrible things to see the humanity that lies beneath. Richard Flanagan's Booker Prize shortlisted The narrow road to the deep north is, without being sentimental or glossing over the horror, a generous book - and this is why I expect it will be one of … Continue reading Richard Flanagan: The narrow road to the deep north (Review)
Monday musings on Australian Literature: Lansdowne Press’s Heritage Books
Just as some contemporary publishers, like Text, have decided to publish Australian Classics, so did publishers in the past attempt such projects. One such publisher was Lansdowne Press which, according to N.B. in the Canberra Times in 1963, began "a series of reprints from Australiana" which they called Heritage Books. N.B. discusses two books in the … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian Literature: Lansdowne Press’s Heritage Books
Monday musings on Australian literature: Who is publishing THE interesting books?
I had another post planned for today, but it can wait, because this morning writer-artist-feminist and out-of-the-box-thinker Sara Dowse made a provocative comment on my review of Australian love stories, which was edited by Cate Kennedy and published by the well-known Inkerman & Blunt. Oops, did I say well-known? Perhaps that was overstating the case. … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Who is publishing THE interesting books?
Cate Kennedy (ed), Australian love stories (Review)
Four hundred and forty-five stories! She read four hundred and forty-five of them! I'm talking about Cate Kennedy, the editor of Australian love stories. These stories were the response to Inkerman & Blunt's call for Australian writers "to share their love stories, fictional or true". Having no experience in these things, I don't know what they expected, but 445 … Continue reading Cate Kennedy (ed), Australian love stories (Review)
Murray Bail, Arthur Boyd, Art and Landscape
Last year, I attended the National Library of Australia's two-day seminar, Writing the Australian Landscape, and wrote three posts about it, here, here and again here! In the first post, I wrote about Murray Bail's somewhat provocative keynote speech. What I didn't mention in my post was Bail's reference to Arthur Boyd's painting, titled "Interior with … Continue reading Murray Bail, Arthur Boyd, Art and Landscape
Monday musings on Australian literature: Poetry awards
Over recent months, I've devoted several Monday Musings to exploring various Australian literary festivals and awards. I was inspired to write this one on poetry awards by two things. The first is that during my recent exploration of Australian literature in the first few decades of the 20th century, and particularly of the 1927 plebiscite conducted … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Poetry awards
Nigel Featherstone, The beach volcano (Review)
Back in 2010, Featherstone spent a month, on a writer's retreat, at Kingsbridge Gatekeeper’s in Cataract Gorge, Launceston. He writes on his blog that he left Launceston with sketches for three novellas. The beach volcano is the last of these, the other two being Fall on me (my review) and I'm ready now (my review). Before I … Continue reading Nigel Featherstone, The beach volcano (Review)
Whispering Gums 