As I wrote in a past post, I do love a biopic! And this week I saw another one, The Young Victoria. In many ways it covers much the same ground as the 2001 miniseries, Victoria & Albert. Both show Victoria's lonely childhood, the poor relationship between her mother and Victoria's uncle the King, her … Continue reading The Young Victoria
António Lobo Antunes, The natural order of things
Virtuosic? Tour de force? These are such clichéd terms to use in a review - and yet, I can find no other words to better describe Portuguese writer António Lobo Antunes' 1992 novel, The natural order of things. This is one of those beautifully written, but rather challenging, books that you know you really should read … Continue reading António Lobo Antunes, The natural order of things
Thinking of peace in 1941
Oh the benefits (and sadness) of hindsight! This week, during my reading of the 1941 issues of The ABC Weekly, I came across a few references to peace and the need to plan for it. Oh dear! It's probably just as well they didn't know how much longer they had to go. Anyhow, one of … Continue reading Thinking of peace in 1941
A.B. (Banjo, to most of us) Paterson
Within the next few weeks I will be reviewing the Australian Classic Library's re-release of Paterson's The man from Snowy River and other verses, so this post is just a teaser. It was inspired by a column in The ABC Weekly (of 22 February 1941). Paterson died on 5 February 1941 - and less than three … Continue reading A.B. (Banjo, to most of us) Paterson
Australian Battle Cry, circa 1941
Somehow I would not have thought of socialism and patriotism being combined in the same person but, logically I suppose, there's no real reason why they shouldn't be. And it does appear they were combined in Dame Mary Gilmore, a famous Australian poet and journalist who was also well-known as a socialist. How do I know? Well, today … Continue reading Australian Battle Cry, circa 1941
Think twice about questioning an author!
I have to admit that I'm not one of those readers who gets too hung up about accuracy in fiction. After all, fiction is, by definition, a work of imagination, and not of fact. And so, when I read fiction I'm pretty good at suspending my disbelief. I'm more interested in the world created by … Continue reading Think twice about questioning an author!
Balibo – the film
What to say about a film that is so close to the heart of Australia? Balibo is one of those films that leaves you sitting in the cinema for a while after it is over. This is not so much because it is stunning cinema but because of its emotional power. For those who don't … Continue reading Balibo – the film
The thin end of the wedge?
I don't think so actually. I am referring to Wikipedia's plans to introduce "flagged revisions" on articles for living people. This really could just be seen as an improvement on the current practice of protecting or semi-protecting articles that are continually "vandalised" with false and sometimes scurrilous information. The trouble is that this "protection" practice … Continue reading The thin end of the wedge?
The information highway, Jane Austen style
Did you know there was an information highway in Jane Austen's day? Well, there was - and it was forged by roads and newspapers. This is the springboard for Dr Gillian Russell's talk, Everything Open: Newspapers in Jane Austen’s Fiction and Letters, which she gave to the Canberra group of Jane Austen Society of Australia this weekend. She … Continue reading The information highway, Jane Austen style
Poet’s advice to Australian writers, 1940
In 1940, Ernest G Moll's poetry collection, Cut from mulga, was chosen by the Commonwealth Literary Committee as the book of the year. In that same year, in a talk on the ABC, he exhorted Australian writers to stop being apologetic about being Australian. So, who was Ernest G Moll? He was born in Victoria … Continue reading Poet’s advice to Australian writers, 1940
