Tara June Winch's Swallow the air is another book that has been languishing too long on my TBR pile, though not as long as Sara Dowse's Schemetime. For Swallow the air, it was a case of third time lucky, because this was the third year I planned to read it for ANZLitLovers Indigenous Literature Week. Like the … Continue reading Tara June Winch, Swallow the air (Review for Indigenous Literature Week)
First Nations Australians
Monday musings on Australian literature: In conversation with Black Words
Today* marks the first day of NAIDOC Week 2014, which will run through to July 13. In honour of this, and of Lisa's Indigenous Literature Week at ANZLitLovers, I thought I'd devote this week's Monday Musings to indigenous Australian writers - and specifically to Anita Heiss's "In conversation with Blackwords" series. This series is described … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: In conversation with Black Words
Winter Solstice: New Lights and Dark Chords
While Hobartians are enjoying a full-on festival - Dark Mofo - to celebrate the Winter Solstice, we here in the national capital have had our little celebration. Or, at least, Mr Gums and I attended one. There might be others going on that I know nothing about. Winter Solstice: New Lights and Dark Chords was, … Continue reading Winter Solstice: New Lights and Dark Chords
On Howard Goldenberg writing about indigenous matters
It's funny how reviews go, at least how mine go anyhow. They sometimes head me off in a direction quite different to the one I started and I feel powerless* to change it. That happened with my recent review of Howard Goldenberg's novel, Carrots and Jaffas. I started by mentioning the issue of white writers … Continue reading On Howard Goldenberg writing about indigenous matters
Howard Goldenberg, Carrots and Jaffas (Review)
Howard Goldenberg, we are told in "About the Author" at the back of his debut novel Carrots and Jaffas, is the sole practitioner of a literary genre - the rhyming medical referral letter! Wouldn't I love to see some of those! Anyhow, you've probably guessed now that Goldenberg is a doctor, and you'd be right. But … Continue reading Howard Goldenberg, Carrots and Jaffas (Review)
Neomad: A Yijala Yala Project
First up, I have to admit that I'm rather challenged when it comes to e-book apps. I did love The Wasteland app which I reviewed a couple of years ago, but it was clearly designed for a, let us say, more staid demographic. Neomad, "a futuristic fantasy" in three episodes, is another matter. Consequently, my … Continue reading Neomad: A Yijala Yala Project
Margaret Merrilees, The first week (Review)
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)
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)
