Once again, as I've been doing for most to the Year Clubs, I am using it as an opportunity to read an Australian short story, usually from one of my anthologies. For 1952, however, the anthologies came up empty, but I did find one via AustLit, and then tracked it down in The Bulletin. The … Continue reading Kylie Tennant, The face of despair (#Review, #1952 Club)
Literature by period
Monday musings on Australian literature: 1952 in fiction
Once again it's Karen's (Kaggsy's Bookish Rambling) and Simon's (Stuck in a Book) "Year Club" week. This week, it is 1952, and it runs from today, 21 to 27 April. As for the last 7 clubs, I am devoting my Monday Musings to the week. The 1950s represent the main period of the Baby Boomer … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: 1952 in fiction
Helen Garner, The season (#BookReview)
In 2023, The New Yorker published a piece on Helen Garner. Written by Australian journalist, Helen Sullivan, its title, "The startling candor of Helen Garner", captures exactly what I like about Garner, as does this a little further on: Her writing is elegant but colloquial, characterized by an impulse to say and share things others … Continue reading Helen Garner, The season (#BookReview)
Jane Austen, Emma (Vol. 1, redux 2025)
As long-time readers here will know, my Jane Austen group did a slow read of Austen's novels over several years, starting in 2011. In 2022, we decided it was time to repeat the exercise, and are again reading them chronologically, one each year, making 2025 Emma's turn. Our slow reads involve reading and discussing the … Continue reading Jane Austen, Emma (Vol. 1, redux 2025)
Irma Gold, Shift (#BookReview)
If Australian writer Irma Gold suffered from Second Book Syndrome while writing her second novel, it certainly doesn't show. Her debut novel, The breaking (my review), is well-written and a great read. However, in Shift, I sense a writer who has reached another level of confidence in fusing her writing, story-telling, and the ideals and … Continue reading Irma Gold, Shift (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: on 1924: 2, New novels
Then as now, newspapers regularly announced new Australian novels as they are published. In these year-based series, I've not done a post specifically on the new releases, so have decided to do it for this year. This is not complete but contains books by authors who had some career longevity. New novel releases I've listed … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: on 1924: 2, New novels
Sun Jung, My name is Gucci (#BookReview)
Some reading synchronicities - those coincidental connections that happen between books we read in a short period of time - are zeitgeist-related. For example, grief is not my go-to, but it is a common theme in contemporary writing so it's not entirely remarkable that I have written three reviews since January about books focused on … Continue reading Sun Jung, My name is Gucci (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: on 1924: 1, Bookstall, again
During 2022 and 2023, I wrote a series of posts on Australian literature as it was read, and thought about, a century earlier, in 1922 and 1923. Last year, I researched 1924, with a view to doing the same, and in fact heralded the upcoming 1924 series, but didn't end up writing any posts. This … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: on 1924: 1, Bookstall, again
Stella Prize 2025 Longlist announced
Last year the Stella Prize longlist announcement took place on a Monday, gazumping that week's Monday Musings. This year it's a Tuesday, and it was again streamed online from the Adelaide Festival Writers Week ... As I say every year, I don't do well at having read the Stella Prize longlist at the time of … Continue reading Stella Prize 2025 Longlist announced
Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 10, Ruby Mary Doyle
Unlike my last forgotten writer, Dulcie Deamer, today's writer, though a prolific contributor to newspapers in her day, has slipped into the shadows. Neither Wikipedia nor the Australian dictionary of biography (ADB) contain articles for her, but the AustLit database does. As with many of my Forgotten Writers articles, I researched and posted a versions … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 10, Ruby Mary Doyle
Whispering Gums 