Have you ever been to a show - a concert, a play, a ballet, for example - and wondered about the performers? How do they relate to each other? What do they do in their spare time? Well, quite coincidentally, two shows I went to last week looked at this question from different angles. First, … Continue reading Performers and the audience
Commentary
Vale Pete Seeger
If music is powerful, and words are powerful, what power can words set to music have? Pete Seeger knew, but I don't need to tell anyone that do I? What a legacy he has left us from his 94 years on this earth! I'm an Australian of course, but Seeger, who first came to me … Continue reading Vale Pete Seeger
Forgiveness or Revenge, Love or Hatred?
This rather personal post departs somewhat from my usual fare - and replaces my usual Monday Musings, for a reason that will become obvious at the end. Last week I saw the film The Railway Man. For those of you who haven't seen or heard of it, it is about Eric Lomax, a British soldier … Continue reading Forgiveness or Revenge, Love or Hatred?
Reading difficult literature
I seem to have been reading a lot in recent weeks about reading, the end of reviewing, the future (or not) of the book, and so on. All interesting, though many revisiting familiar territory. One, though, particularly caught my eye. It was a post in Book Riot, by magazine editor/blogger/reviewer Greg Zimmerman, and was titled … Continue reading Reading difficult literature
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
Villainesses thriving in Canberra
Now I know many Australians see Canberra, their national capital, as a soulless, boring, sliced-white-bread sort of place but not so. There is life here. Art is happening - and it's fresh, vibrant and young. Not all our young people have left (yet!). Last night Mr Gums and I went to the opening of a … Continue reading Villainesses thriving in Canberra
The Role of the Arts Critic: a Childers Group Public Roundtable
Last week, I reorganised my Friday Lunch Group's schedule in order to attend a public roundtable on the role of the arts critic organised by the Childers Group. This group, formed in late 2011, describes itself as an "independent arts forum ... committed to the long-term viability and vitality of the arts". It aims to … Continue reading The Role of the Arts Critic: a Childers Group Public Roundtable
What is literary fiction? A personal manifesto!
I was pottering around the Internet last night, as you do, and found myself on a State Library of Victoria page titled Novels: Finding Literary Reviews and Criticism - and there I saw this definition of Literary Novel: Literary fiction focuses on the subjects of the narrative to create introspective, in-depth studies of complex characters. … Continue reading What is literary fiction? A personal manifesto!
Monday musings on Australian literature: The History of Emotions
I had something else planned for today's Monday musings, but it can wait, because this afternoon a member of my Jane Austen group brought something rather interesting to my attention. It's the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions. Here is how it describes itself: Emotions shape individual, community and national … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: The History of Emotions
Impressive reading initiative from the University of Canberra
How proud am I? Not that I had anything to do with it, but the University of Canberra, in my city, has launched an inspiring initiative which it calls the UC Book Project. This is a project whereby every student (yes every student) who commences a course (yes any course) at the University of Canberra … Continue reading Impressive reading initiative from the University of Canberra
Whispering Gums 