It has been so busy here at Monday Musings that I am late with this announcement ... but that doesn't mean it's not worth making! On December 6th, 2011, the idea of an Australian Children's Laureate was inaugurated with the appointment of not one, but two, children's authors to the role. They are Alison Lester … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Australia’s first Children’s Laureates
Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011: Reviews from the week January 8-14
Week 9 of our Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011 project and the shortlist has now been announced, as I reported earlier this week. However, we are still reading and reviewing in preparation for announcing "our" Shadow winner in early March, just before the announcement of the winner. This week's reviews are: Amitav Ghosh's River … Continue reading Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011: Reviews from the week January 8-14
Francesca Rendle-Short, Bite your tongue (Review)
How much do you think about the first sentence of your review? Like me, you probably try to find some anchor or point of interest to lead off from, but my problem with novelist-journalist Francesca Rendle-Short's fiction-cum-memoir, Bite your tongue, is that I have too many angles to choose from. Which one do I use? Do … Continue reading Francesca Rendle-Short, Bite your tongue (Review)
Man Asian Literary Prize 2011 Shortlist announced
... And my preferred two books - those by Ahmad and Yoshimoto - of the three I've read are in the final seven books. Woo hoo ... but I have a lot to read to catch up to the rest of the team. The shortlisted books are: Jamil Ahmad's Wandering falcon Jahnavi Barua's Rebirth Rahul … Continue reading Man Asian Literary Prize 2011 Shortlist announced
Monday musings on Australian literature: Guest post from Kim of Reading Matters
This week's Monday musings brings you my fourth guest post, this time from Kim of Reading Matters. Like Guy, Kim started commenting on my blog in its infancy and I soon discovered that this blogger from England was actually an Australian. Naturally we developed a rapport. I have appreciated Kim's support of my blog - … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Guest post from Kim of Reading Matters
Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011: Reviews from the week January 1-7
Week 8 of our Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011 longlist reviewing project and we now have only a few days to the shortlist announcement on January 10. This week's reviews are: Tahmima Anam's The good Muslim (Bangladesh) by Fay of Read, Ramble. She says "it is beautifully structured, the story well told, the characters alive" … Continue reading Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011: Reviews from the week January 1-7
Jamil Ahmad, The wandering falcon (Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011)
I'm not sure how to describe Jamil Ahmad's Man Asian Literary Prize novel, The wandering falcon. Is it a disjointed novel, a picaresque, or a collection of connected short stories? It doesn't matter greatly - it is what it is - but at least by raising the question I've given you a sense of how … Continue reading Jamil Ahmad, The wandering falcon (Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Some Australian Literature online events for 2012
What better way to kick off Monday Musings in 2012 than by heralding some exciting Australian Literature initiatives from around the 'net. Here they are, in no particular order: Australian Women Writers Challenge 2012 by Elizabeth Lhuede. Her aim is to promote women writers across all fields and genres of writing. The challenge involves signing up … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Some Australian Literature online events for 2012
Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011: Reviews from the week December 26-31
Week 7 of our Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011 longlist reviewing project and we're moving along with less than two weeks now to the shortlist announcement. This week's reviews are: Jahnavi Barua's Rebirth (India) by Fay of Read, Ramble who thinks it has some interesting things to say about women's lives in contemporary India … Continue reading Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize 2011: Reviews from the week December 26-31
Notable reads for 2011
I've been wondering whether to jump on the "Best of" bandwagon and, if I did it, how to do it. Then today I read Lizzy Siddal's (love that name!) list and decided that I'd follow her lead and use categories rather than go for a simple Top Ten (or whatever) which always feels fraught. I know Lizzy's … Continue reading Notable reads for 2011
Whispering Gums 