A few months ago I wrote a post on Horace Walpole's The castle of Otranto which is regarded as a pioneer in the Gothic novel tradition. I thought then that it would be good to explore how the Gothic translated to Australia where we have no castles in which the supernatural can rattle and clang. … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Australian Gothic (19th century)
Australian literature
Meanjin’s Tournament of Books 2011, Finale
... and now we have a winner! Those of you who have been following the tournament will know that the two books facing off in the Finale were Helen Garner's The children's Bach and Joan London's Gilgamesh. I would not have guessed this at the beginning (and neither, they say, did the organisers). Not because these … Continue reading Meanjin’s Tournament of Books 2011, Finale
Monday musings on Australian literature: Women of letters
Letter-writing has a long literary tradition - both fictional and non-fictional. Epistolary novels, according to Wikipedia, go back to the 1400s, and I'm sure if you're a reader you've read at least a few. My favourite Australian example is a gut-wrenching young adult novel Letters from the inside by John Marsden. But these are not my … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Women of letters
Meanjin’s Tournament of Books 2011, Zombie Rounds
Just one round of Meanjin's tournament of books to go ... after this one, that is. The Zombie round comprises the winners of Semifinals 1 and 2 being pitted against the books returned to the fray by reader vote in the Zombie poll (on which I reported at the end of the Semifinals post). Zombie Round … Continue reading Meanjin’s Tournament of Books 2011, Zombie Rounds
Monday musings on Australian Literature: Guest post from Louise of A Strong Belief in Wicker
This week's Monday Musings is my second Guest Post in the series. It comes from the lovely Louise of A Strong Belief in Wicker. I first "met" Louise through an online bookgroup and we quickly discovered that we lived within a few hours' drive of each other. Consequently, we have also "actually" met several times … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian Literature: Guest post from Louise of A Strong Belief in Wicker
Alice Pung, Her father’s daughter
Her father's daughter (2011) is Alice Pung's second memoir - if you can quite call this book a memoir. Unpolished gem (2006), her first, established Pung in the eyes of both critics and readers as a writer to watch. I agreed with them, but with some minor reservations. She certainly demonstrated the ability to write and … Continue reading Alice Pung, Her father’s daughter
Monday Musings on Australian Literature: Pondering Meanjin’s Tournament
My recent post on the semifinals of Meanjin's Tournament of Books engendered some comments on the value or validity of the tournament itself - so I thought, having dedicated myself to reporting on the tournament, I should comment on what I think about it as an event. I'll start by saying that I don't take literary competitions … Continue reading Monday Musings on Australian Literature: Pondering Meanjin’s Tournament
Meanjin’s Tournament of Books 2011, Semi-finals
So now we are getting to the business end of Meanjin's tournament of books ... and it's getting exciting. Since I've been posting a little more frequently lately, I'll keep this one short and, hopefully, sweet ... after all, there's still more to come. Semifinal 1: Joan London's Gilgamesh defeated Kate Grenville's The secret river … Continue reading Meanjin’s Tournament of Books 2011, Semi-finals
Monday musings on Australian literature: the AWGIES (for film)
Last week I finally saw the (excellent) film adaptation of Patrick White's The eye of the storm (which I may - or may not - separately blog about). I was intrigued to notice that the scriptwriter was one-time actor, Judy Morris, and this reminded me of the AWGIE awards. The AWGIES are annual awards organised … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: the AWGIES (for film)
Nigel Featherstone, Fall on me
Fall on me bookcover (Courtesy: Blemish Books) Nigel Featherstone is nearly a local writer for me - he lives in the country town an hour down the road - but I haven't read him before, even though he has published a goodly number of short stories and short fiction. How does this happen? Anyhow, Fall on me is … Continue reading Nigel Featherstone, Fall on me
Whispering Gums 