National Library of Australia, from the other side of Lake Burley Griffin Bill of The Australian Legend's AWW Gen 1 Week, which has just finished, focused on the authors and the books they wrote about colonial Australia. However, what about the readers? I've been planning to write a post on literary culture in colonial Australia for … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Literary culture in colonial Australia
Literature by period
Tasma (Jessie Couvreur), Uncle Piper of Piper’s Hill (#BookReview)
The first thing to say about Tasma's debut novel Uncle Piper of Piper's Hill is that it's rather wordy, speaking to a literacy different from that of today's readers. For this reason, Uncle Piper won't appeal to readers who like short simple sentences, and a plot which moves along at a good clip with little … Continue reading Tasma (Jessie Couvreur), Uncle Piper of Piper’s Hill (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Tasma (aka Jessie Couvreur)
Tasma, c. 1890. (Public Domain, from the State Library of Victoria, via Wikipedia) This week Bill (of The Australian Legend) is running an Australian Women Writers Gen 1 Week, through which he plans to highlight Australian women writers from our first generation of writers, which he defines as "those writers who came before the 1890s … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Tasma (aka Jessie Couvreur)
Jenny Ackland, The secret son (#BookReview)
Melbourne-based author Jenny Ackland has tried something rather audacious in her debut novel, The Secret Son. Instead of following the autobiographical route that many first novelists do, she has leapt right in and tackled, albeit from left field, one of Australia's most controversial legends, Ned Kelly. But, here's the rub: it's not exactly about Ned … Continue reading Jenny Ackland, The secret son (#BookReview)
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)
Bruce Beresford, The best film I never made (#BookReview)
Bruce Beresford, author of The best film I never made, is of special interest to me for a couple of reasons, besides the fact that I've enjoyed many of his films over the years. One is that after a few years of taking (or, perhaps, "dragging" is more accurate) our then young son to various classic … Continue reading Bruce Beresford, The best film I never made (#BookReview)
Joy Eadie, Discovering Charles Meere: Art and allusion (#BookReview)
The award for my last review of the year goes to something a little left field for me, Joy Eadie's Discovering Charles Meere: Art and allusion. I say left field because it is, essentially, a book of art criticism, and I don't do much of that here (or anywhere, for that matter!) However, when Halstead … Continue reading Joy Eadie, Discovering Charles Meere: Art and allusion (#BookReview)
Bernadette Brennan, A writing life: Helen Garner and her work (#BookReview)
Enough of the filler posts for a while! It's time for a review, and it's a special one because it's for a book about one of my favourite writers, Helen Garner. The book is Bernadette Brennan's A writing life: Helen Garner and her work. Described as a "literary portrait" rather than as a biography, it … Continue reading Bernadette Brennan, A writing life: Helen Garner and her work (#BookReview)
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)
Betty McLellan, Ann Hannah, my (un)remarkable grandmother: A psychological biography (#BookReview)
Betty McLellan's Ann Hannah, my (un)remarkable grandmother: A psychological biography disconcerted me at first. I'd never heard of a psychological biography (which, I presume, is the same as psychobiography) so I was intrigued by McLellan's discussion in the Introduction of her decision to use this approach. I did feel, for a chapter or two that she was … Continue reading Betty McLellan, Ann Hannah, my (un)remarkable grandmother: A psychological biography (#BookReview)
Whispering Gums 