As last year, I'm devoting my last Monday Musings for 2013 to the Australian Women Writers Challenge. This challenge, instigated by Elizabeth Lhuede in response to growing concern in Australian literary circles about lack of recognition for women writers, was so successful in 2012 that Elizabeth, with the help of a team of volunteers, decided to continue … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Australian Women Writers’ Challenge 2013
AWW Challenge 2013
Linda Jaivin, Found in translation: In praise of a plural world (Review)
Reading synchronicity strikes again! In the last couple of months, the issue of language, translation and culture has been crossing my path - in Diego Marani's The last of the Vostyachs, in Gabrielle Gouch's Once, only the swallows were free, and on Lisa's blog post about the AALITRA Symposium on Translation. I was consequently more than … Continue reading Linda Jaivin, Found in translation: In praise of a plural world (Review)
Gabrielle Gouch, Once, only the swallows were free (Review)
Do you differentiate memoir from autobiography? I do. For me, a memoir, such as Gabrielle Gouch's Once, only the swallows were free, deals with a specific aspect of a person's life, such as a sportsman writing about his career when he retires from it or a person writing about her growing up, like, say, Alice … Continue reading Gabrielle Gouch, Once, only the swallows were free (Review)
Melissa Lucashenko, Sinking below sight (Review)
In this week's Monday Musings about the Walkley Awards, I noted that Melissa Lucashenko had won the award for Long Feature Writing for her essay "Sinking below sight: Down and out in Brisbane and Logan" in the Griffith Review. I've now read the essay, and thought I'd share it with you. I've reviewed Lucashenko before, … Continue reading Melissa Lucashenko, Sinking below sight (Review)
Lesley Lebkowicz, The Petrov poems (Review)
Canberra poet Lesley Lebkowicz has made a couple of brief appearances in my blog: first in my post on The invisible thread anthology, and then when she won this year's ACT Poetry Award. I was consequently more than happy to accept for review her latest book, The Petrov poems. It's intriguing that nearly 60 years … Continue reading Lesley Lebkowicz, The Petrov poems (Review)
Bianca Nogrady, The end: The human experience of death (Review)
Have you thought about your death? About how and where you want to die? These are the questions Australian science journalist Bianca Nogrady asks us to consider in her recent book, The end: the human experience of death. I'm not a morbid person, but when Nogrady contacted me to ask whether I'd consider reviewing her … Continue reading Bianca Nogrady, The end: The human experience of death (Review)
Christina Stead, For love alone (Review)
In a recent communication with local author Nigel Featherstone about reviewing, he reminded me of Peter Rose's advice for new reviewers for the ABR. One of the points Rose makes is: with major books, ones that have been reviewed extensively in the newspapers, submit reviews that add to our understanding of the book, not just repetitious … Continue reading Christina Stead, For love alone (Review)
Dorothy Johnston, Eight pieces on prostitution (Review)
A few months ago I wrote a Monday Musings on the Australian Society of Authors' digital publishing initiative, Authors Unlimited e_Book portal. At the time I decided to try it out and bought Dorothy Johnston's collection of short stories, Eight pieces on prostitution. The collection comprises 7 short stories and a long story or novella. One … Continue reading Dorothy Johnston, Eight pieces on prostitution (Review)
Romy Ash, The basin (Review)
Romy Ash has made quite a splash with her debut novel, Floundering. It was shortlisted for the Stella Prize and the Miles Franklin Literary Award, among others. I haven't read it yet, but I have read a couple of her short stories that have appeared in the Griffth Review, one of which is "The basin". … Continue reading Romy Ash, The basin (Review)
Michelle de Kretser, Questions of travel (Review)
Every now and then a book comes along that is so sweeping in its conception, that it almost defies review. Such a book is this year's Miles Franklin Award winner, Questions of travel by Michelle de Kretser. Consequently, I'm going to focus on one aspect that particularly spoke to me - and that is her … Continue reading Michelle de Kretser, Questions of travel (Review)
Whispering Gums 