When I started my Monday Musings sub-series on forgotten Australian writers a couple of months ago, I had a few writers in mind, including the first one I did, Helen Simpson. However, a couple of weeks ago, The Conversation published the latest in their Hidden Women of History series, and the subject was an Irish-Australian … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 2, Eliza Hamilton Dunlop
First Nations Australians
The Griffyns are back – with Songs from a Stolen Senate
COVID-19 wreaked havoc on the performing arts industry, as we all know, and that, of course, included our beloved Griffyn Ensemble. However, they clearly didn't spend the time twiddling their thumbs, because this weekend they returned to live performance at the new Belco Arts Theatre. What a thrill it was to see and hear these … Continue reading The Griffyns are back – with Songs from a Stolen Senate
Monday musings on Australian literature: Contemporary responses to Coonardoo
Ask and you shall receive, they say, and so when Lisa (ANZLitLovers) expressed interest in what Prichard's contemporaries thought of her novel Coonardoo, I thought I'd love to know too. However, I'm sure Nathan Hobby will cover this in some detail in his upcoming biography of Katharine Susannah Prichard. I don't want spoil that, so … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Contemporary responses to Coonardoo
Jasmine Seymour and Leanne Mulgo Watson, Cooee mittigar: A story on Darug songlines (#BookReview)
Recently, on a bit of a whim, I bought two books from the Indigenous Australian publishing company, Magabala Books. They were the younger readers-young adult novel, Black Cockatoo (my review), which had been shortlisted for a few awards, and this picture book, Cooee mittigar, which had just won the 2020 Prime Minister's Literary Award for … Continue reading Jasmine Seymour and Leanne Mulgo Watson, Cooee mittigar: A story on Darug songlines (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Selected early high country history
As some of you know, I am currently having a little summer break in Australia's high country, based in Thredbo in Kosciuszko National Park. This is an annual trek for Mr Gums and me, and I have written about it occasionally before. I thought I'd do so again for this week's Monday Musings, from an … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Selected early high country history
Carl Merrison and Hakea Hustler, Black cockatoo (#BookReview)
Black cockatoo is a young adult novel written by Indigenous Australian author, Carl Merrison, and his non-Indigenous collaborator, Hakea Hustler, and illustrated by Indigenous Australian illustrator, Dub Leffler. It is a beautiful, little (in size, not value) book that made quite a splash when it was published. It was shortlisted for several children's literature awards … Continue reading Carl Merrison and Hakea Hustler, Black cockatoo (#BookReview)
Craig Cormick and Harold Ludwick, On a barbarous coast (“BookReview)
Craig Cormick is a Canberra-based writer whom I've seen at various literary events around town, but not read until now, so I was especially glad when Allen & Unwin sent me this book to review. Titled On a barbarous coast, it was written collaboratively with Harold Ludwick, "a Bulgun Warra man whose traditional lands lie … Continue reading Craig Cormick and Harold Ludwick, On a barbarous coast (“BookReview)
Julie Janson, Benevolence (#BookReview)
In a rather curious synchronicity, the last three books I've read have all had single word, multiple-meaning, titles, all relating to the colonial settlement of Australia - Gay Lynch's historical fiction Unsettled (my review), John Kinsella's memoir Displaced (my review), and now Julie Janson's historical fiction Benevolence whose title drips with irony. Recently, I commented … Continue reading Julie Janson, Benevolence (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: “Returning novels”
In his review of Tara June Winch's The yield (my review), Jonathan Shaw (Me fail? I fly!) writes that "Ellen van Neerven, in a review in the Australian Book Review, describes The Yield as a ‘returning novel’". I loved this way of framing the novel, so I checked the review. Van Neerven, who has featured several times on this … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: “Returning novels”
John Kinsella, Displaced: A rural life (#BookReview)
I haven't talked about reading synchronicities for some time, but when I started reading John Kinsella's memoir, Displaced, I couldn't help but think of the book I had just finished, Gay Lynch's historical novel Unsettled (my review). Both have one word titles which play with opposites; in both cases, those opposites refer to physical meanings … Continue reading John Kinsella, Displaced: A rural life (#BookReview)
Whispering Gums 