Finally, having reviewed three stories in Barbara Baynton's collection Bush studies, I start at the beginning with the story "A dreamer". This story is a little different to the three* I've reviewed to date, primarily because men do not play a significant role in the action or denouement of the plot. The plot is a … Continue reading Barbara Baynton, A dreamer (Review)
Australian writers
Rod Howard, A forger’s tale: The extraordinary story of Henry Savery, Australia’s first novelist (Review)
"Name Australia's first published novelist" is, I think, a question that would trick most Australians at a trivia night. Rod Howard, who wrote the biography, A forger's tale, about this writer would agree, as would the writer in the West Australian in 1950 to whom I referred a couple of months ago. Henry Savery, in … Continue reading Rod Howard, A forger’s tale: The extraordinary story of Henry Savery, Australia’s first novelist (Review)
Meanjin’s Tournament of Books 2012 (2013), Round 2
Methinks our Meanjin Tournament of Books judges partied a little too much over the silly season because it has taken a few weeks for the second round to be judged. However, the judging has now concluded and the eight stories have been reduced to four, as follows: Round 2 Match 1: Thea Astley's 'Hunting the … Continue reading Meanjin’s Tournament of Books 2012 (2013), Round 2
Barbara Baynton, Scrammy ‘and (Review)
Back in November, Trevor at Mookse and the Gripes, decided that rather than write a single review of Alice Munro's latest collection of short stories, Dear life, he would, over a period of time, read and review the individual stories. Now, there's something to be said for reviewing a collection of short stories as a … Continue reading Barbara Baynton, Scrammy ‘and (Review)
Delicious descriptions from Down under: Patrick White on men and sheep
A few months ago I wrote a Monday Musings on the representation of sheep - well, people who work with sheep anyhow - in Australian literature. I was therefore tickled when early in Patrick White's Happy Valley, which I reviewed last week, he talks of men who work with sheep, as follows: Men who work … Continue reading Delicious descriptions from Down under: Patrick White on men and sheep
Patrick White, Happy Valley (Review)
My love affair with Patrick White, figuratively speaking, began in my last year of high school when I studied Voss. Always partial to Aussie literature, I was, at 17 or 18, bowled over by White's writing, passion and vision - and by his rather acerbic, though mostly compassionate, view of the way people submerge their … Continue reading Patrick White, Happy Valley (Review)
Fridays with Featherstone, Part 4: On writing and admired writers
Today, I bring you the final part of Susan Errington's Wet Ink interview with Nigel Featherstone. In this part Nigel talks primarily about some of the writers he admires or who have inspired him - and how they relate to his writing. I love the fact that many of the writers Nigel admires are also … Continue reading Fridays with Featherstone, Part 4: On writing and admired writers
Thea Astley, Hunting the wild pineapple (Review)
Thea Astley's "Hunting the wild pineapple" is both a short story and the title of a collection of connected short stories (that includes, of course, the title story). Today I am going to write on the short story as it's one of the 16 included in the current Meanjin Tournament of Books - and it … Continue reading Thea Astley, Hunting the wild pineapple (Review)
Meanjin’s Tournament of Books 2012, Matches 7-8
With this post, we finish the first round of this year's Tournament of Books, so here goes ... next post will look at Round 2. Match 7: Henry Lawson's "The drover's wife" defeated Cate Kennedy's "Static" Like most Australians I've read Lawson's "The drover's wife". It's probably one of Australia's most anthologised stories so it … Continue reading Meanjin’s Tournament of Books 2012, Matches 7-8
Tim Flannery, After the future: Australia’s extinction crisis (Review)
Tim Flannery is an Australian palaeontologist-cum-environmentalist who has been on the public stage for a couple of decades now. He has published several books on environmental issues, some best-sellers, including The future eaters and The weather makers. He was Australian of the Year in 2007, has starred in three television documentary series with comedian John … Continue reading Tim Flannery, After the future: Australia’s extinction crisis (Review)
Whispering Gums 