For the fifth year in a row, I'm devoting my last Monday Musings of the year to the Australian Women Writers Challenge*. This year has been one of consolidation rather than of huge change for the Challenge, as we got used to our self-hosted site to which we moved in 2015. The big advantage of this move was that it … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Australian Women Writers’ Challenge 2016
David Hockney at the National Gallery of Victoria
It's a while since I wrote about an art exhibition, not because I haven't been to any but because this is a litblog (and I'm even less of an art critic than I am a literary one). However, I did feel the urge to write about the David Hockney Current exhibition, which is now showing at Melbourne's National Gallery of … Continue reading David Hockney at the National Gallery of Victoria
Monday musings on Australian literature: Spotlight on Georgia Blain
This is the fifth in my occasional series of Spotlight posts inspired by Annette Marfording's Celebrating Australian Writing: Conversations with Australian Authors, and this time I'm featuring Georgia Blain who died just over a week ago, three days before her mother Anne Deveson also died. In a comment on my Vale post, Annette Marfording reminded me that she'd interviewed Georgia … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Spotlight on Georgia Blain
Elizabeth Jolley, An innocent gentleman (Mini-Review)
Note: this is a mini-review compiled from the notes I made when I read Elizabeth Jolley's An innocent gentleman before blogging. I found them on some scrappy pieces of paper while decluttering and figured my blog is the best place to keep them ... not floating in some drawer somewhere! Most if not all of Elizabeth … Continue reading Elizabeth Jolley, An innocent gentleman (Mini-Review)
Vale Anne Deveson (1930-2016) and Georgia Blain (1964-2016)
If you are a person of a certain age in Australia you will know Anne Deveson. She was a radio broadcaster first, then filmmaker, activist and writer. Her death this week after suffering for some years with Alzheimer's Disease is the saddest thing. She was 86, but sadder still is that just three days before … Continue reading Vale Anne Deveson (1930-2016) and Georgia Blain (1964-2016)
Monday musings on Australian literature: ABC RN presenters name their best reads of 2016
Now, here's my conundrum. We (at least I think I can speak for a general "we") want Australians to read widely, because it's important for us to understand cultures that are different to our own. But, given how small the Australian market is, we also want people to read Australian literature (and see, for that matter, Australian films … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: ABC RN presenters name their best reads of 2016
Ted Chiang, Story of your life (or, Arrival) (Review)
Whenever I see a film, I go to Arti's Ripple Effects blog to see whether she's reviewed it. Sometimes she has, sometimes she hasn't. As with books, I don't read reviews before I see films, so I can never remember whether I've seen a review post pass through my inbox. Consequently, when we saw the … Continue reading Ted Chiang, Story of your life (or, Arrival) (Review)
Delicious descriptions: Pierre Lemaitre on the artist
I recently reviewed Pierre Lemaitre's The great swindle which is primarily about postwar France - specifically about the way returned soldiers were treated, and more broadly about money and the way it was driving behaviour, values and relationships. I'll share just one little specific reference to this, a description of the scurrilous (and poverty-stricken aristocrat) Pradelle, … Continue reading Delicious descriptions: Pierre Lemaitre on the artist
Monday musings on Australian literature: Aussie writers name their pick reads of 2016
December is, or has certainly become in recent years, the month of lists. As always, I'll be saving my lists until the end of 2015, which means you won't see them until January. However, that doesn't mean I can't share other people's lists, does it? I've gleaned the list I'm sharing here from a recent article in … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Aussie writers name their pick reads of 2016
Six degrees of separation, FROM Revolutionary Road TO Fateless
Six Degrees of Separation is a monthly "meme" hosted by Kate (booksaremyfavouriteandbest). Each month, she nominates a book, and then those who choose to play create a chain of six books, linking one from the other as the spirit moves. Now, I hadn't planned to play this time because I haven't read Richard Yates' Revolutionary Road (nor did … Continue reading Six degrees of separation, FROM Revolutionary Road TO Fateless
Whispering Gums 