They all nodded, not knowing what the hell curry* was but getting gist of the story all the same. Marie Munkara leads us a merry dance with Every secret thing, her first book, which won the David Unaipon Award for an unpublished Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander writer. What exactly is this "thing" she presents … Continue reading Marie Munkara, Every secret thing
Literature by period
Albert Camus, The plague (orig. La peste)
All I maintain is that on this earth there are pestilences and there are victims, and it's up to us, so far as possible, not to join forces with the pestilences. (Tarrou) and ... to state quite simply what we learn in a time of pestilence: that there are more things to admire in men … Continue reading Albert Camus, The plague (orig. La peste)
Delicious descriptions from Down Under: Albert Camus on the sun
As I'm an Australian litblogger, I intend my Delicious Descriptions from Down Under to be primarily of Down Under. However, as we in the southern hemisphere come to the end of summer, as my first two Delicious Descriptions were on the sun and, as I am re-reading Albert Camus' The plague, I can't resist sharing a … Continue reading Delicious descriptions from Down Under: Albert Camus on the sun
Abraham Verghese, Cutting for stone
I saw a man under the spell of his own tale, a snake charmer whose serpent has become his turban. I'm not sure how I want to use the above quote, which comes late in the book, but I just liked it and so decided to start this post with it. Bear with me! Discounting … Continue reading Abraham Verghese, Cutting for stone
Monday musings on Australian literature: The triumvirate
I've mentioned Marjorie Barnard in a couple of posts recently, but I suspect few Australians and even fewer readers from overseas (except of course Tony of Tony's Bookworld) have ever heard of her. Rather than write specifically about her, though, I thought I'd talk a little about the Australian literary scene of the 1920s to … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: The triumvirate
Helene Hanff, 84 Charing Cross Road
Before you all (well, those of you of a certain age at least) gasp and wonder how it could be that I haven't read this delightful little tome before, I assure you that I have. However, on our drive home today from our week at the coast, we listened to an unabridged audiobook version, and … Continue reading Helene Hanff, 84 Charing Cross Road
Delicious descriptions from Down Under: Marjorie Barnard on the sun and heat
My first Delicious descriptions post was from Barbara Hanrahan on the sun in Adelaide, so I thought we might travel to Sydney for this one. As it's still in summer in our neck of the woods, here is Marjorie Barnard in The persimmon tree and other stories (1943), also on the sun - and its enervating effect: In … Continue reading Delicious descriptions from Down Under: Marjorie Barnard on the sun and heat
Delicious descriptions from Down Under: Barbara Hanrahan on the sun
When you read do you come across passages that you just want to hang onto forever - but (if you're a blogger) when you go to write your blog review you can't quite make them fit? I do, and have been pondering for some time what to do about it. Then, suddenly, it came to … Continue reading Delicious descriptions from Down Under: Barbara Hanrahan on the sun
Madeleine St John, The women in black
One thing mystified me as I started reading Madeleine St John's The women in black and that is why she would write a book in 1993 about 1950s? It seemed an odd choice. And then, as I read further, it started to become clear. The time period represents one of those cultural watersheds that nations … Continue reading Madeleine St John, The women in black
Jonathan Franzen, Freedom
Hmm ... where to start? Half way through this book I was tiring. I wanted to say to Franzen "Enough already" (which, if you've read the book, has a certain appositeness). I also started to think of those song lines, so well-known to my generation: Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose. In … Continue reading Jonathan Franzen, Freedom
Whispering Gums 