It's a while since I've devoted a Monday Musings to an individual author - my last being, I think, Jessica Anderson back in February 2012 - and so I thought it was high time for another one, if only to mix the series up a bit! My choice for today is - well, you know who it … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Barbara Baynton
J. Sterling Morton, About trees (Review)
One of the first Library of America stories I wrote about here was John Muir's "A wind-storm in the forests", so when I saw one titled "About trees" pop up recently, I had to read it. By recently, I mean April - as the Library of America published it to coincide with Arbor Day in the … Continue reading J. Sterling Morton, About trees (Review)
On Howard Goldenberg writing about indigenous matters
It's funny how reviews go, at least how mine go anyhow. They sometimes head me off in a direction quite different to the one I started and I feel powerless* to change it. That happened with my recent review of Howard Goldenberg's novel, Carrots and Jaffas. I started by mentioning the issue of white writers … Continue reading On Howard Goldenberg writing about indigenous matters
Monday musings on Australian literature: Specialist literary festivals
Are you a reader of crime or science fiction or fantasy? Or, perhaps of poetry? A few weeks ago I wrote a post on regional literary festivals in Australia. I focused then on festivals for general and/or literary fiction. But, if you have specialist reading inclinations, there are also likely to be festivals for you. … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Specialist literary festivals
Howard Goldenberg, Carrots and Jaffas (Review)
Howard Goldenberg, we are told in "About the Author" at the back of his debut novel Carrots and Jaffas, is the sole practitioner of a literary genre - the rhyming medical referral letter! Wouldn't I love to see some of those! Anyhow, you've probably guessed now that Goldenberg is a doctor, and you'd be right. But … Continue reading Howard Goldenberg, Carrots and Jaffas (Review)
Barbara Baynton, Bush church (Review)
"Bush church" is my sixth and last* story from Barbara Baynton's Bush studies, and it presented a rather pleasant change in tone from most of the others in the book. I'm sorry in a way that I read these stories quite out-of-order. "Bush church" is the fifth story in the collection, appearing after "Billy Skywonkie" … Continue reading Barbara Baynton, Bush church (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: ABR’s first laureate
While I was gallivanting in the northern hemisphere in April, ABR (the Australian Book Review) announced its first ever laureate. I missed it at the time, but heard of it soon after my return, and am now sharing it with you. For most Aussie readers, though, it's probably a bit old hat! ABR's concept of … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: ABR’s first laureate
Dinah Fried, Fictitious dishes (Review)
Regular readers here know that I recently spent a few weeks in North America - mostly in Toronto, bookended by a few days in Southern California. We spent our last day with a friend I "met" many years ago through online reading groups. We actually met Trudy for the first time in 2008, so this … Continue reading Dinah Fried, Fictitious dishes (Review)
Adam Johnson, The orphan master’s son (Review)
Given my current reading preferences, I probably wouldn't have read Adam Johnson's Pulitzer prize-winning novel, The orphan master's son, if it hadn't been for my reading group, but I'm rather glad I did. It's a confronting novel, not only because of its brutal content, but also because it is an outsider's critique. I always feel more … Continue reading Adam Johnson, The orphan master’s son (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Reading Matters’ ANZLitMonth
This is the third year that expat journalist Kim has hosted an Australian Literature month on her blog Reading Matters - except that this year, for the first time, she has included New Zealand literature in her scope. As she writes in her introductory post, her aim is to celebrate and "raise awareness of the amazing range of literature … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Reading Matters’ ANZLitMonth
