Having discussed in this week's Monday Musings Margaret Merrilees' essay on white authors writing about indigenous Australians, I'm now getting to my promised review of her debut novel, The first week, in which she does just this. It also, according to Wakefield Press's media release, won the Adelaide Festival's Unpublished Manuscript Award in 2012. I can see why … Continue reading Margaret Merrilees, The first week (Review)
First Nations Australians
Monday musings on Australian literature: White writers on Indigenous Australians
Over the years I've read many books written by white Australian writers on indigenous Australians*, including Mrs Aeneas Gunn's We of the Never Never, Nene Gare's The fringe dwellers, Thomas Keneally's The chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, Kate Grenville's The secret river, Peter Temple's The broken shore, and several books by Thea Astley. Later this week I'll be reviewing another, … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: White writers on Indigenous Australians
Monday musings on Australian literature: Bread and Cheese Club and Indigenous Australians
Since last week's Monday Musings post on Melbourne's curious, but now defunct, Bread and Cheese Club, I've been doing further research into its various activities, and have found it to be an amazingly vibrant organisation. The club's motto was "Mateship, Art and Letters" and a major focus seemed to have been Australian writers. Certainly its … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Bread and Cheese Club and Indigenous Australians
Kathy Marks, Channelling Mannalargenna (Review)
A few weeks ago I wrote a Monday Musings about the Walkley Awards, noting some of the winners that particularly interested me. They included two awards for essays in the Griffith Review, one by Melissa Lucashenko, whose essay "Sinking below sight" I subsequently reviewed, and the other by Kathy Marks whose essay, "Channelling Mannalargenna" is … Continue reading Kathy Marks, Channelling Mannalargenna (Review)
Melissa Lucashenko, Sinking below sight (Review)
In this week's Monday Musings about the Walkley Awards, I noted that Melissa Lucashenko had won the award for Long Feature Writing for her essay "Sinking below sight: Down and out in Brisbane and Logan" in the Griffith Review. I've now read the essay, and thought I'd share it with you. I've reviewed Lucashenko before, … Continue reading Melissa Lucashenko, Sinking below sight (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Writing the Australian landscape (2)
In this week's Monday Musings*, I plan to continue last week's discussion of some of the ideas that arose from the National Library of Australia's Writing the Australian Landscape conference. But first, I'll recap the two questions posed by the keynote speakers: Day 1, author Murray Bail suggested that only when we are at ease … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Writing the Australian landscape (2)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Role of Aboriginal literature
Most keen readers have firm views about the value of reading to them. Some, I think, read mainly to escape. Others like to be opened to other ways of being and thinking. Others like the things they learn - yes, even from fiction! And still others love beautiful or interesting language. These aren't the only … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Role of Aboriginal literature
Anita Heiss, Am I black enough for you (Review)
Anita Heiss's Am I black enough for you? is a challenge to categorise, so I'll start with writer Benjamin Law's description on the cover of my edition. He calls it "part family history, part manifesto" to which I'd add "part memoir" because "family history" does not really cover the self-description aspect of the book. For … Continue reading Anita Heiss, Am I black enough for you (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: BlackWords
NAIDOC Week, to which last week's Monday Musings was dedicated, officially finished yesterday, but I've decided to bookend it with another Monday Musings focusing on indigenous Australian literature. This post, in fact, also harks back to two Monday Musings ago which talked about the AustLit database - because I want to introduce you to one … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: BlackWords
Melissa Lucashenko, How green is my valley (Review)
Almost a year ago I reviewed a short story, "The silent majority", by Melissa Lucashenko. It was published in the Griffith Review of November 2009. I enjoyed the story and so, in honour of NAIDOC Week and ANZLitLovers Indigenous Literature Week, I thought I'd review another of her Griffith Review contributions. This one, "How green … Continue reading Melissa Lucashenko, How green is my valley (Review)
Whispering Gums 