I have reviewed many individual short stories by Americans (through the Library of America), but not by Australians. Time to rectify that a little, and why not with a short story by Melissa Lucashenko, an Australian writer of European and indigenous Australian heritage. She is an award-winning novelist and an essayist, but I hadn't read … Continue reading Melissa Lucashenko, The silent majority (Review)
Virginia Woolf on Jane Austen’s Love and freindship
A couple of weeks ago I reviewed Jane Austen's juvenilia work, Love and freindship. I wanted, then, to share with you Virginia Woolf's take on Jane and the work, but decided it would be better as its own post, so here I am again. Woolf was quite an essayist, as you probably know, as well … Continue reading Virginia Woolf on Jane Austen’s Love and freindship
Monday musings on Australian literature: It’s all about sport, or is it?
I've written previous Monday Musings on themes and motifs in Aussie literature - like the lost child, the beach, mountains and even sheep - so, with the Olympics now on, it seemed appropriate to add sport to this list. Whether we all like it or not, Australia has somewhat of a reputation for being a … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: It’s all about sport, or is it?
What do Anna Funder and Amarcord have in common?
Leipzig! It's funny isn't it how some person, place, idea (or whatever) that you hadn't come across in who knows how long suddenly makes its presence felt more than once in a short amount of time. This is what happened to me this week when I attended, on Sunday, a conversation at the National Library … Continue reading What do Anna Funder and Amarcord have in common?
Monday musings on Australian literature: Prime Minister’s Literary Awards 2012
Last year I attended and reported on the post-announcement panel for the Prime Minister's Literary Awards, held at the National Library of Australia. I attended again this year and, since it occurred today, Monday, I've decide to devote this week's Monday musings to it. First, the winners: Fiction: Gillian Mears' Foal's bread (My review) Poetry: Luke … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Prime Minister’s Literary Awards 2012
Jane Austen, Love and freindship (Review)
If you are a Jane Austen fan, you don't just read her six novels. You read her letters, her unfinished works and her juvenilia. And you read them more than once. So it is that I have just - for my local Jane Austen group - reread Love and freindship (sic), the short epistolary novel … Continue reading Jane Austen, Love and freindship (Review)
Robert Frost, The question of a feather (Review)
Well I never! Never knew, that is, that Robert Frost wrote prose as well as poetry. I suppose I didn't know that he didn't do it, either, but now I know that he did! And how do I know? Through the Library of America of course! This week's story is "The question of a feather" … Continue reading Robert Frost, The question of a feather (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: The sheep’s back
As a baby-boomer, I grew up knowing that Australia "rode on the sheep's back", that our economy, in other words, was based on the wool trade. It's not quite so now - though wool is still an important product - but I was reminded of the saying last weekend as we were introducing a young … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: The sheep’s back
My most unforgettable books, to date!
I was going to title this post "Life-changing reads" but decided that that wasn't quite right. I'm not sure that any book has quite changed my life though many have opened my eyes to other ways of seeing and being in the world. May marked my third year of blogging and I started this post … Continue reading My most unforgettable books, to date!
Monday musings on Australian literature: Who is Colin Roderick?
Regular readers here will know that a couple of recent Monday musings were based on two books written in the late 1940s surveying Australian literature. At the time of writing those posts, I'd never heard of the man behind those books, one Colin Roderick. I soon learnt, though, that he was a somewhat significant figure in 20th … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Who is Colin Roderick?
Whispering Gums 