Finally, an excuse to mention W. Somerset Maugham here - and the excuse is, as Aussie literary fiction followers will probably know, that Mirandi Riwoe's Stella shortlisted novella, The fish girl, is a response to (was inspired by) Maugham's short story "The four Dutchmen". I don't usually feel I need to read the original work … Continue reading W. Somerset Maugham, The four Dutchmen (#Review)
20th century literature
M.L. (Mollie) Skinner, The hand (#Review)
Pam of Travellin' Penguin blog read ML Skinner's short story "The hand" for a challenge she was doing, and, when I expressed interest in it, very kindly sent me a copy. "The hand" is a mysterious little story - and by little, I mean, little in that it takes up less than 7 pages of the anthology, … Continue reading M.L. (Mollie) Skinner, The hand (#Review)
Carson McCullers, Home for Christmas (#Review)
As you will guess from the title of this Library of America (LOA) Story of the Week, I meant to post on it closer to Christmas Day than I have in fact achieved. I chose it for two reasons - firstly the obvious seasonal one, and secondly because my first Carson McCullers post was an unusual piece and … Continue reading Carson McCullers, Home for Christmas (#Review)
Amy Witting, Afterplay (#Review)
Amy Witting's first novel wasn't published until 1977, when she was 59 years old, which is why she appeared in my late bloomers post a few years ago. She went on to publish five more novels after that - two of which I read and enjoyed long before blogging - and she was an accomplished … Continue reading Amy Witting, Afterplay (#Review)
Carmel Bird (ed), The stolen children: Their stories (#BookReview)
Commenting on my post on Telling indigenous Australian stories, Australian author Carmel Bird mentioned her 1998 book The stolen children, describing it as her contribution "to the spreading of indigenous stories through the wider Australian culture". It contains stories told to, and contained in the report of, the National Enquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and … Continue reading Carmel Bird (ed), The stolen children: Their stories (#BookReview)
William T Hornaday, The bird tragedy of Laysan Island (Review)
William Temple Hornaday (1854-1937), whose article "The bird tragedy of Laysan Island" was a recent Library of America (LOA) Story of the Week offering, is a tricky man to write about. Originally a taxidermist, he became one of the pioneers of the wildlife conservation movement in America after he realised, around the 1880s, the dire situation regarding the country's … Continue reading William T Hornaday, The bird tragedy of Laysan Island (Review)
George Orwell’s Politics and the English language
I was reminded of George Orwell's rules for writing this weekend while reading an article about the German architectural historian, Nikolaus Pevsner (1902–1983). In her article, “New guides to Bath: Society and scene in Northanger Abbey”, Judy Stove-Wilson wrote that Pevsner noted the strong tendency of English towards monosyllables. He regarded this as symptomatic of ‘understatement, the … Continue reading George Orwell’s Politics and the English language
Ellen N. La Motte, Alone (Review)
I decided to read Ellen N La Motte's story "Alone" from recent Library of America (LOA) Story of the Week offerings because it was a war story, but as I read LOA's notes I became more and more intrigued. I hadn't heard of La Motte (1873-1961) before, but she was an American nurse. Two years before the US formally joined the … Continue reading Ellen N. La Motte, Alone (Review)
Janette Turner Hospital, Orpheus lost (Mini-review)
Last year I did a mini-review of Elizabeth Jolley's An innocent gentleman using some scrappy notes from when I read the book long before blogging. This post on Janette Turner Hospital's Orpheus lost has similar origins. I'm keen to add it here because I've read several of her novels, but none since blogging, and I really … Continue reading Janette Turner Hospital, Orpheus lost (Mini-review)
Mena Calthorpe, The dyehouse (Review)
Mena Calthorpe's novel The dyehouse was, as I wrote in a post last year, Text Publishing's choice for its 100th Text Classic, which surely says something about its quality or worth, wouldn't you think? And yet, as Lisa (ANZLitLovers) pointed out in her post, it is not mentioned in recent books discussing the history of Australian literature, … Continue reading Mena Calthorpe, The dyehouse (Review)
Whispering Gums 