There are authors I read long before blogging whom I really want to document here, in some way. One of these is Nobel Laureate Nadine Gordimer who first came to my attention in 1983 with her memorable, confronting 1956 short story collection, Six feet of the country. Nadine Gordimer, as I'm sure you know, had … Continue reading Nadine Gordimer, Harald, Claudia, and their son Duncan (#BookReview)
20th century literature
Monday musings on Australian literature: Two Aussie writers in 1965
Continuing last week's 1965 theme, this post discusses two articles on two Aussie writers who published books that year. I chose them because I think they are instructive examples of book reviewing. Thomas Keneally Thomas Keneally, born in 1935, is a prolific Australian author with a long (and still continuing) career. He was shortlisted for … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Two Aussie writers in 1965
Monday musings on Australian literature: Literary visitors in 1965
Last week's Monday musings surveyed Australian literature in 1965. As I researched that post in Trove, I came across some fascinating newspaper articles from the year, which I thought worth sharing in separate posts. I've divided them into two groups - one on overseas visitors (today's post) and the other local writers (next week's, probably!) … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Literary visitors in 1965
Monday musings on Australian literature: 1965 in fiction
1965 as a topic? What the?! Those familiar with the lit-blogosphere will probably guess what inspired this post, but for everyone else, I'll explain. Over the last week of April, bloggers Kaggsy (Kaggsy's Book Ramblings) and Simon (Stuck in a Book) ran a 1965 Reading Week, the latest in their series of reading weeks focusing … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: 1965 in fiction
Marilynne Robinson, Gilead (#BookReview)
Once again I have reason to start a book post with a discussion of the title, this time Marilynne Robinson's 2005 Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Gilead. Gilead, in the context of this novel, has a literal and metaphorical meaning, literal because it takes place in the fictional Iowan town of Gilead, and metaphorical because "gilead" … Continue reading Marilynne Robinson, Gilead (#BookReview)
Rudyard Kipling, The Janeites (#Commentary)
The topic for my local Jane Austen group's March meeting was "Jane Austen in the trenches" which, I realise, sounds a bit anachronistic, given she died in 1817, nearly a century before the trenches we're talking about. But, you see, Jane's fame didn't start in 1995 with Colin Firth and that wet shirt. No, her … Continue reading Rudyard Kipling, The Janeites (#Commentary)
Capel Boake: Three short stories
Having written about Capel Boake in my last Monday Musings, I couldn't resist checking out some of her short stories. Bill's AWW Gen 2 Week concluded yesterday, but I hope he'll accept this post as a contribution. Boake's stories are easily accessible in Trove. In fact, I was spoilt for choice, so just picked three at random. … Continue reading Capel Boake: Three short stories
Katharine Susannah Prichard, Christmas tree (#Review)
Commenting on my recent post on Katharine Susannah Prichard's short story "The bridge", Prichard biographer Nathan Hobby, pointed us to an online version in Trove of her short story, "Christmas Tree", which he describes as the best of her early work. It's about farmers, droughts and banks. Seemed very appropriate (to us in Australia right … Continue reading Katharine Susannah Prichard, Christmas tree (#Review)
Katharine Susannah Prichard, The bridge (#Review)
Time for another post on a short story available online, but not, this time, from the Library of America. Indeed, it's not even American, but one of our own - Katharine Susannah Prichard's (KSP) "The bridge". As far as I can tell it has been published at least three times: in 1917 in the Weekly … Continue reading Katharine Susannah Prichard, The bridge (#Review)
EM Forster, Howards End (#BookReview)
Where to start? Like all great classics, EM Forster's Howards End has so much to think and write about that it's difficult to know where to focus, not to mention what new angle I could possibly add. Perhaps I'll just start at the beginning - with its epigraph, "only connect..." That's a concept that's sure … Continue reading EM Forster, Howards End (#BookReview)
