Whispering Gums

Books, reading and more … with an Australian focus … written on Ngunnawal Country

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Working class literature

Monday musings on Australian literature: Factory novels

July 21, 2025July 23, 2025 / Whispering Gums / 21 Comments

"I love a factory novel"! So wrote Buried-In-Print blogger Marcie on my post earlier this year on the Australasian Book Society. I do too, I replied, and noted to myself that this could be a topic for Monday Musings. I have not done as much research as I would have liked, but I figured I … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Factory novels

Enza Gandolfo, The bridge (#Bookreview)

May 25, 2019May 25, 2019 / Whispering Gums / 24 Comments

If there are people I admire more than any others, it's those who are able to empathise with, and forgive, someone who has done them great wrong. This complex question of forgiveness - of self and of others - is one of the issues explored in Enza Gandolfo's Stella Prize short-listed novel, The bridge. However, it's … Continue reading Enza Gandolfo, The bridge (#Bookreview)

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Recent Whisperings

  • Monday musings on Australian literature: on 1926: 1, First Nations language and literature
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Latest comments

  1. Whispering Gums's avatar
    Whispering Gums on Monday musings on Australian literature: on 1926: 1, First Nations language and literatureAugust 11, 2026

    Thanks very much Bill … I remember Radcliffe-Brown as an anthropologist but don’t recollect reading that before. I think it’s…

  2. wadholloway's avatar
    wadholloway on Monday musings on Australian literature: on 1926: 1, First Nations language and literatureAugust 11, 2026

    I have no expertise in Aboriginal languages but am a fan of Daisy Bates, especially her relatively unknown history in…

  3. Whispering Gums's avatar
    Whispering Gums on Monday musings on Australian literature: on 1926: 1, First Nations language and literatureAugust 11, 2026

    I like! Thanks Bill.

  4. Whispering Gums's avatar
    Whispering Gums on Monday musings on Australian literature: Modern social novelAugust 11, 2026

    Haha Rach … just be you!! I used to think Oscar and Lucinda could be a GAN contender but I’d…

  5. Whispering Gums's avatar
    Whispering Gums on Monday musings on Australian literature: on 1926: 1, First Nations language and literatureAugust 11, 2026

    I thought so, Pam. Glad you agree.

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Australian Literary Awards for (mostly) Fiction, 2026


The Age Book of the Year: Moreno Giovannoni, The immigrants
ALS Gold Medal:
Australian Book Industry Award (Literary Fiction): Charlotte McConaghy, Wild dark shore
Barbara Jefferis Award:
Indie Book Awards (Fiction): Charlotte McConaghy, Wild dark shore
Miles Franklin Award: Omar Musa, Fierceland
NSW Premier's Literary Award (Christina Stead Prize): Moreno Giovannoni, The immigrants
Patrick White Award:
Prime Minister's Literary Award:
Queensland Literary (Fiction) Award:
South Australian Literary Awards:
Stella Prize: Lee Lai, Cannon
Victorian Premier's Literary (Fiction) Award: Omar Musa, Fierceland
Western Australian Premier's Book of the Year Award:

Acknowledgement of Country

I acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional custodians of the nation in which I live, of land that was never ceded. I honour and respect their cultural heritage, customs and beliefs, and am truly thankful for their ongoing care of this country.

Copyright on my content

This work by Whispering Gums is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 DEED Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareALike 4.0 International

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I am careful about the images I use in this blog. Some of them are my own, some I've specifically obtained permission to use from an owner, and some book cover thumbnails are used under fair use provisions. However, I have used others under Creative Commons (and similar licences) when the owners have indicated on their sites/pages that they release their material under such licences. Where possible, I have tried to properly attribute the owners/creators of uploaded images. If you think I have breached your copyright in any way please let me know. Any photos not attributed to others or to public domain are mine. Unless otherwise specified, you are welcome to use them under the Creative Commons license described under Copyright on my content above.

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