Having just reviewed two novellas in succession - Nigel Featherstone's I'm ready now and Gerald Murnane's The plains - I was intrigued to receive an email this week from AbeBooks titled "The best novellas: Literature's middle child". It linked to an article which starts: Poor novellas. They are the middle-child, the Jan Brady of the … Continue reading Poor novellas?
Commentary
How many ways can you ask Google a question?
Just over a year ago I wrote a review of the film (and book) Red Dog. In it I avoided talking about how the film ends, but that hasn't stopped people asking. My Red Dog post is one of my top five posts and it's there largely because of the following searches: does red dog … Continue reading How many ways can you ask Google a question?
Monday musings on Australian literature: National Bookshop Day (Belated)
Saturday 11 August was National Bookshop Day here down under but I decided to delay writing about it until this week's Monday Musings as it seems a worthy subject. However, Lisa of ANZLitlovers and Louise of A Strong Belief in Wicker did their posts in a more timely way. National Bookshop Day is a new concept … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: National Bookshop Day (Belated)
Apostrophes amok
Seen on our recent holiday in Kununurra, in the Kimberleys: Don't you feel sorry for the "table tops"? They look rather lonely in there. My philosophy regarding apostrophes is a simple one: When in doubt, leave them out. I find the odd missing apostrophe far less distracting than the opposite - but perhaps that's just … Continue reading Apostrophes amok
Monday musings on Australian literature: The other David Campbell and the sin of misattribution
Much to my chagrin, the "other" poet named David Campbell drew to my attention recently to the fact that I had twice, in my blog, (mis)attributed a poem he'd written to the wrong David Campbell. The poem is "The Last Red Gum" and I first wrote about it in my post on The magnificent River … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: The other David Campbell and the sin of misattribution
Vale Jerome
In living there is always the terror of being stung of something coming for you on the unavoidable wave (from "Bluebottles" by Dorothy Porter in her collection The bee hut) I have not posted since last week's Monday musings, and there will be no Monday musings this week, but I will resume in a day … Continue reading Vale Jerome
Raising my consciousness: Thoughts of a reader on International Women’s Day
I am not, and never have been, scared to use the "F" word - that is, I call myself a Feminist. My philosophy is a simple one: women are not the SAME as men, but women deserve EQUAL rights and respect as men. This is not to say that the interpretation and application of this … Continue reading Raising my consciousness: Thoughts of a reader on International Women’s Day
Delicious Descriptions from Down Under: Francesca Rendle-Short on writing
In my recent review of Francesca Rendle-Short's fiction-cum-memoir, Bite your tongue, I concluded on the suggestion that for Rendle-Short the act of writing, as well as of reading, "changes things". Today I thought I'd share two excerpts from her novel that confirm this, one from her fictional persona of Glory, and the other from her … Continue reading Delicious Descriptions from Down Under: Francesca Rendle-Short on writing
Whither literary manuscripts in the digital age?
Have you experienced the thrill of seeing original manuscripts by your favourite author or of a favourite book? I certainly have ... the most memorable for me, of course, being some pages from Jane Austen's Persuasion. But such personal thrill isn't the only value to be gained through having access to original manuscripts. Scholars love … Continue reading Whither literary manuscripts in the digital age?
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
Whispering Gums 