I became aware of Courtney Collins' The burial when it was longlisted for the Stella Prize. It has since been shortlisted for the Stella, shortlisted for the new writing award in the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, and longlisted for the Dobbie Literary Award for new writing. It had previously been shortlisted for the 2009 Australian/Vogel … Continue reading Courtney Collins, The burial (Review)
Dead child narrator
Yan Lianke, Dream of Ding village (Review for Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize, 2011)
As I started reading Yan Lianke's Dream of Ding Village, I was reminded of a favourite novel of mine, Albert Camus' The plague. However, as I read on, the similarity started to fade - or, perhaps it's just that the particularity of Lianke's conception took over. Both books explore a community living with a highly contagious, … Continue reading Yan Lianke, Dream of Ding village (Review for Shadow Man Asian Literary Prize, 2011)
Whispering Gums 