My reading group came to read Jane Fletcher Geniesse's biography, Passionate nomad: The life of Freya Stark, by a somewhat circuitous route - and it started with my blog. One of our members had read my Monday Musings post on 19th century travellers, and suggested that we read a 19th century travel writer. Somehow, as … Continue reading Jane Fletcher Geniesse, Passionate nomad: The life of Freya Stark (Review)
Review – Biographies
Karen Lamb, Thea Astley: Inventing her own weather (Review)
Courtesy: UQP One of the threads that runs through Karen Lamb's biography, Thea Astley: Inventing her own weather, is Astley's ongoing frustration about her work not being appreciated or recognised. On the face of it, this seems neurotic or, perhaps, paranoid. After all, she was the first writer to win the Miles Franklin Award four times, … Continue reading Karen Lamb, Thea Astley: Inventing her own weather (Review)
Kate Grenville, One life: My mother’s story (Review)
Kate Grenville is one of Australia's best known contemporary writers, and is one of that small band to have succeeded both critically and commercially. Most know her for The secret river, which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize among other awards. I enjoyed that, and the other novels of hers that I've read, with my … Continue reading Kate Grenville, One life: My mother’s story (Review)
Philip Butterss, An unsentimental bloke: The life and work of C. J. Dennis (Review)
If you are an Australian, particularly one of a certain age, chances are you studied some C.J. Dennis at school, most likely "The play" from his best-known book The songs of a sentimental bloke. I did, and then, not having read him for decades, I reviewed for this blog his second major book, The moods of … Continue reading Philip Butterss, An unsentimental bloke: The life and work of C. J. Dennis (Review)
William Wells Brown, Madison Washington (Review)
Having recently reviewed Harriet Ann Jacobs' story "The lover" in the Library of America's (LOA) Story of the Week program - and also having seen the movie 12 Years a Slave - I couldn't ignore William Wells Brown's story, Madison Washington, when it appeared last month as an LOA offering. Brown (1814-1884), like Jacobs, was born into slavery. He managed to … Continue reading William Wells Brown, Madison Washington (Review)
Helen Trinca, Madeleine: A life of Madeleine St John (Review)
Madeleine (Courtesy: Text Publishing) I wanted to read Helen Trinca's biography Madeleine for several reasons. First, of course, being a reader, I'm interested in biographies and autobiographies of writers. Secondly, Madeleine St John belongs to that group of Australians, half a generation or so older than I am, that has made quite a mark on … Continue reading Helen Trinca, Madeleine: A life of Madeleine St John (Review)
Rod Howard, A forger’s tale: The extraordinary story of Henry Savery, Australia’s first novelist (Review)
"Name Australia's first published novelist" is, I think, a question that would trick most Australians at a trivia night. Rod Howard, who wrote the biography, A forger's tale, about this writer would agree, as would the writer in the West Australian in 1950 to whom I referred a couple of months ago. Henry Savery, in … Continue reading Rod Howard, A forger’s tale: The extraordinary story of Henry Savery, Australia’s first novelist (Review)
Brenda Niall, True north: The story of Mary and Elizabeth Durack (Review)
'Of course we are mad,' Bet wrote to Mary, 'but we live in a mad place.' Brenda Niall's True North (Courtesy: Text Publishing) The mad place that Bet - Elizabeth Durack - refers to is the Kimberley region of north-west Australia and the book this quote comes from is biographer Brenda Niall's True north: The … Continue reading Brenda Niall, True north: The story of Mary and Elizabeth Durack (Review)
Hazel Rowley, Franklin and Eleanor: An extraordinary marriage
I wonder what would make an Australian biographer decide to write about an American couple? And I wonder, having now read Hazel Rowley's Franklin and Eleanor: An extraordinary marriage, what she would have made of, say, Joseph and Enid Lyons, Australia's own political power couple. Unfortunately we'll never know as Rowley died just around the … Continue reading Hazel Rowley, Franklin and Eleanor: An extraordinary marriage
Whispering Gums 