One of my dilettantish (you know, jack of all trades master of none) interests is dance. I did ballet for eight years as a child (not very well) and have done ballroom dancing on and off since my late teens (not very well); I have tried my hand at folk dancing, English country dancing and, … Continue reading Consider the floor burnt…
Cute but not cutesy
Cute has become a much maligned word but it originated as a shortened form of acute and meant "keenly perceptive or discerning, shrewd". This, I think, works well as a description of Sarah Watt's latest film My Year Without Sex, particularly when combined with more recent meanings of the word such as "charming". (WARNING: SOME SPOILERS) The basic premise … Continue reading Cute but not cutesy
When is a sequel not a sequel?
What Janeites call sequels, others, such as Elizabeth Paton writing in the June 2009 issue of goodreading, call fan fiction. And, I guess, fan fiction is a little more accurate since what Janeites call sequels is, in fact, "fiction written by the fans, for the fans of a particular book". In her essay titled "Sequels" … Continue reading When is a sequel not a sequel?
Cheaper books? At what cost?
Richard Flanagan gave the closing address at this year's Sydney Writers Festival and spoke about recent moves to end territorial copyright in Australia which would allow the sale of overseas editions in Australia. It appears that this move is supported by big businesses such as Dymocks, Coles and Woolworths who apparently call themselves the Coalition for Cheaper … Continue reading Cheaper books? At what cost?
Notes from a Wikipedian
Two years ago I made my first edit in Wikipedia ... and got hooked. You see, as a young teenager I decided I wanted to write an encyclopedia. I did start one, but didn't get very far. Life got in the way as I recollect. As with several of my early dreams, however, life has … Continue reading Notes from a Wikipedian
When too much Jane Austen is barely enough
Okay, this is not going to turn into a Jane Austen blog but, nonetheless, you will probably find her the author I talk about the most. Today I read Frank Kermode's review in the London Review of Books of the recent Cambridge edition of the works of Jane Austen, Volume IX: The later manuscripts and Claire … Continue reading When too much Jane Austen is barely enough
Jane Austen’s letters, 1814-1816
By 1814, Jane Austen had published Sense and sensibility (1811) and Pride and prejudice (1813). Mansfield Park (1814) was about to be published, and Northanger Abbey had been written many years previously but was not yet published. She was over half way through her major published oeuvre of 6 books and had less than 4 years to live. … Continue reading Jane Austen’s letters, 1814-1816
Aravind Adiga, The Sultan’s Battery
Adiga's next book, after his very successful, The white tiger, is a collection of short stories titled Between the assassinations. It has already been published in India, and apparently refers to that period in India between the assassinations of Indira Gandhi and her son Rajiv. An abridged version of one of its stories, The Sultan's … Continue reading Aravind Adiga, The Sultan’s Battery
Steve Toltz, A fraction of the whole
I reckon the voters for the NSW Premier's Literary Awards inaugural People's Choice Award got it right when they chose Toltz's A fraction of the whole as the first winner. Not necessarily because it is the best book of the year, because I'm not sure that it is, but because it is such a life-writ-large … Continue reading Steve Toltz, A fraction of the whole
Musica Viva concert: Katia Skanavi
I have been attending classical (to use the popular definition of the term) concerts since the mid-1970s, but I am not musically trained and so cannot comment with any expertise on technique, interpretation, etc. However, I do know what I like - and one of the things I like is a concert that mixes old … Continue reading Musica Viva concert: Katia Skanavi
