Nothwithstanding this week's Monday Musings posts on literary awards, I still like the Miles Franklin - partly because of its significance in the Australian literary firmament - and so I am sharing today's announcement of this year's winner which I watched via You Tube. You may remember that this years shortlist was: Aravind Adiga's Amnesty … Continue reading Miles Franklin Award 2021 winner announced
Monday musings on Australian literature: Talking literary awards
This Thursday will see the announcement of the winner of this year's Miles Franklin Literary Award. It's one of the more important days on the Australian literary calendar, but it has inspired another of those articles about the value of literary awards. Now, we have discussed awards here before. Back in 2012, I wrote about … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Talking literary awards
Stan Grant, On Thomas Keneally (Writers on writers) (#BookReview)
Stan Grant's On Thomas Keneally is the second I've read in Black Inc's Writers on writers series, Erik Jensen's On Kate Jennings (my review) being the first. As I wrote in that post, the series involves leading authors reflecting "on an Australian writer who has inspired and influenced them". Hmm ... the way Keneally inspired … Continue reading Stan Grant, On Thomas Keneally (Writers on writers) (#BookReview)
Adam Thompson, Born into this (#BookReview)
When my brother gave me Tasmanian author Adam Thompson's Born into this earlier this year, I told him I'd save it for Lisa's ILW 2021, which I did - and which means I can now thank him properly for a yet another well-chosen gift, because this is a strong, absorbing and relevant read. If you … Continue reading Adam Thompson, Born into this (#BookReview)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Recovering Australia’s Indigenous languages (2)
2021 National NAIDOC logo. Yesterday was the start of Lisa's (ANZLitLovers) 2021 Indigenous Literature Week which coincides of course with NAIDOC Week, and, again, I've decided to contribute this week's Monday Musings to the cause. The topic I've chosen, the reclamation of First Nations languages, was partly inspired by last week's Monday Musings on Eliza Hamilton … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Recovering Australia’s Indigenous languages (2)
Six degrees of separation, FROM Eats shoots and leaves TO …
Now we come to July, and we Aussies have one month of winter under our belt. Woo hoo! But, enough weather report, onto our Six Degrees of Separation meme. If you don't know how it works, please check out meme host Kate's blog - booksaremyfavouriteandbest. The first rule, as most of you know, is that Kate … Continue reading Six degrees of separation, FROM Eats shoots and leaves TO …
Steven Conte, The Tolstoy Estate (#BookReview)
Steven Conte burst on the scene in 2008 when he won the inaugural Prime Minister's Literary Award with his 2007-published debut novel, The zookeeper's war. I always intended to read it but somehow it never happened. Jump to 2020, and Conte's second novel, The Tolstoy Estate, was published. That's a big gap, but what he's … Continue reading Steven Conte, The Tolstoy Estate (#BookReview)
Colin Roderick Award longlist 2021
I wrote about this award in a Monday Musings back in 2012, but haven't mentioned it much since. Roderick, as I explained in that post, is a somewhat controversial character in Australian literature. However, the award is worth $20,000 and encompasses a wide range of forms and genres, both fiction and nonfiction, so, I thought … Continue reading Colin Roderick Award longlist 2021
Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 2, Eliza Hamilton Dunlop
When I started my Monday Musings sub-series on forgotten Australian writers a couple of months ago, I had a few writers in mind, including the first one I did, Helen Simpson. However, a couple of weeks ago, The Conversation published the latest in their Hidden Women of History series, and the subject was an Irish-Australian … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Forgotten writers 2, Eliza Hamilton Dunlop
Malcolm Knox, Bluebird (#BookReview)
Malcolm Knox's sixth novel, Bluebird, comes with some impressive endorsements. On the front cover is "Charlotte Wood, author of The weekend", while the back features "Christos Tsiolkas, author of Damascus and The slap" and "Adam Gilchrist, former test cricketer and beach-goer". Hang on, Adam Gilchrist? What the? Some of you will know why, but I … Continue reading Malcolm Knox, Bluebird (#BookReview)
Whispering Gums 