AustLit

'Yen Se has lost everything to the Khan's brutality.

'Left with one eye and one leg, he is forced out of his home village to work in the city as a horse handler. Witness to the Khan's violent crusade, their raids sweeping across Eurasia, he travels with the theatre of war, but exists outside of it; stunned every morning to find himself alive.

'Yen Se moves randomly across Europe with a loose band of survivors – men who think of survival, men who think of resistance, and women who dare to dream of peace.

'Whilst narrated by a male, women are at the forefront of this story; often the most active of the characters, both for their plight and for their guidance.

'Imperial Harvest tells the story of war, but more importantly, of hope.' (Publication summary)

'It is 1910. Halley's Comet is coming. Harry Houdini is in Australia for the first time. The most celebrated escape artist in the world has sold-out seasons in both Melbourne and Sydney.

'Houdini has a new obsession- aviation. He has brought with him from Europe his own Voisin biplane, being put together and prepared in a Diggers Rest paddock by his French mechanic, Brassac. Houdini is intent on claiming a record- first to fly in Australia. But he has competition from aspiring aviators in several states, and is left restless and distracted when his promotional leap-in-chains from a Melbourne bridge disturbs a corpse in the Yarra.

'Meanwhile, his wife Bess, left alone in their hotel, stumbles upon her own mystery- music with no apparent source. Then she realises that her preoccupied husband is far from being the most famous visitor to Australia- Also present, though in hiding, is an Italian composer who has performed his own vanishing act.

'This intriguing story, set in the year of Halley's Comet, merges history and invention, reality and illusion. Like Houdini's own act, is it possible to believe what you see or hear?'  (Publication summary)

''I am every woman and every woman's quest to be free.'

'Hana Assafiri is a much loved and revered social activist and radical entrepreneur. Through the medium of food and dining in her now-renowned Moroccan Soup Bar, Hana has worked tirelessly to rectify the systemic and social barriers to women's empowerment.

'Hana's memoir follows her childhood between Lebanon and Australia, her forced arranged marriage, her numerous attempts to escape, and her ensuing career in women's services. In 1998, she opened the Moroccan Soup Bar, which would quickly become an iconic Melbourne institution-founded on the radical notion that marginalised women, together in the kitchen, can effect social change,

'Every evening at the Moroccan Soup Bar, Hana would 'tap a glass' and deliver a monologue to provoke thought and initiate conversation on important topics. (Hana writes in the book that 'the food is free-you pay for the conversation'!) This 'glass tapping' serves as a framing device throughout the book, giving readers pause between chapters to reflect on important issues such as truth-telling, violence against women, and Islamophobia.

'Hana's reputation has flourished as an entrepreneur, feminist, and social activist. Her memoir is a call to arms, inviting readers to join her mission of empowerment, inspiration and progress. Hana serves as a testament to women's capacity to redefine their own freedom; and in doing so, shape a world where all of us can truly flourish and thrive.' (Publication summary)

'Mother by day, Dominatrix by night. 

'When a cash-strapped single mother of two in suburban Melbourne has a fun idea to start a side hustle running workshops for hens’ parties, she has no idea it will lead her on a surreal adventure (or twenty) through the debaucherous underground world of kink clubs and swingers’ parties. Nor does she know that it will bring her out on the other end as one of Australia’s most recognised Dominatrixes' (Publication summary)

'Line of Blood: The Truth of Alfred Howitt tells the full story of Australia's so-called 'ablest anthropologist'; the botanist, geologist, senior public servant and explorer Alfred Howitt—and ancestor of the author, Craig Horne.

'Howitt first made his name in Australia as a bushman and explorer—Mt Howitt and Howitt Plain in the Victorian Alps are named in his honour. Most famously, he led the salvage mission that retrieved the remains of Burke and Wills at Coopers Creek and returned the expedition's sole survivor, John King, to Melbourne.

'Throughout his exploratory expeditionary career, Howitt encountered First Nations peoples, evoking in him mixed feelings of contempt and curiosity. To him, they were 'savages', or 'blacks'—classified as 'treacherous and troublesome components of the landscape'.

'That Howitt was an extraordinarily capable polymath is not challenged. What this book challenges are the contributions of Howitt's anthropological conclusions, coupled with his social and political influences, in legitimising the murderous advance of white settlement upon the Australia landscape. For Howitt, the 'line of blood' that followed white settlement was nothing more than the iron law of replacement, whereby an 'inferior race' is inevitably usurped by a 'superior civilisation'.

'Howitt perpetrated a policy of determined paternalistic neglect that facilitated the mechanical dismissal of First Nations Peoples—a policy that bleeds into Australian law, society and culture even today' (Publication summary) 

'Leonie Katekar left behind her past and confronted her fears by immersing herself in a foreign world and embarking on a 12,000km solo bike-packing expedition through South America.

'When We're Not Afraid is told with an insight that enthrals and inspires how to confront fears that many of us have. It is a story for anyone disillusioned with their life and wanting to be brave enough to face the question - What would I do if I was not afraid?' (Publication summary)

'In this tell-all, highly entertaining memoir, we read how Paulie channelled his anger from the murder of his brother, one of the Balibo Five, into the infamous Painters & Dockers band that put the Australian music scene on notice.

'From being formed with the intention of a one-time performance to pay a friend’s parking fine, it became a 40-year-long punk rock band with a cult following.

'Paulie’s activism also formed the Dili Allstars which highlighted the plight of the Timorese and he tirelessly supports Timor-Leste’s Alma Nuns.

'Not only was he a rockstar and an activist, Paulie also worked as a music journalist with the Melbourne Herald Sun for 30 years.

'This is a much-anticipated story that transcends music and activism. The book is full of laugh-out-loud anecdotes of his encounters with major stars, including Billy Idol, Keith Richards, the Wiggles and Nick Cave.'  (Publication summary)

 (Publication summary)

'Gerald Diffey has spent four decades immersed in the world of food, wine and hospitality, from early days waiting tables in old English hotels to establishing two of the best places in the world to drink and eat: the award-winning Gerald’s Bar in North Carlton– Heston Blumenthal described it as ‘a proper, proper old-fashioned sort of bar’– and Gerald’s Bar in San Sebastian. 

'Beggars Belief is a collection of funny, poignant, insightful and just plain ludicrous stories from Gerald’s life in kitchens and behind bars: his formative years in the UK, memories of food and family; tales and tips from forty years of service; journeys and meals, people and places, from lunch on the side of a volcano in Sicily to dinner on a beach in East Timor; stories and recipes and drinks suggestions from North Carlton and San Sebastian; vignettes, slices of life, observations.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'David King was only ten years old when he met the Angels.

'This is a story full of childhood adventures, street smarts and ingenuity. It is the story of a survivor in a time when violence in the home was commonplace, and of the gang of Angels who took him under their wing, protected him and taught him the value of ‘safety in numbers’.'

'This candidly written memoir, enlivened by the author’s impish sense of humour, narrates the way in which, by chance and circumstance, Tom Lowenstein placed his career at the service of the Australian art world.

'The book describes Lowenstein’s numerous David and Goliath battles with the Australian Government and the Australian Tax Office for a greater understanding and fairer treatment of the unique set of circumstances and numerous challenges faced by the country’s creative sectors.

'Lowenstein’s interactions with his colourful and gregarious clients took him frequently out of the comfort of the corporate environment into the artists’ homes and studios. The personalities of Charles Blackman, Colin Lanceley, Margaret Olley, John Olsen, Garry Shead, Tim Storrier, and many other luminaries of the art world are vividly brought out with unique insights and unexpected angles.

'The book is richly illustrated with photographs from Lowenstein’s personal archives documenting his longstanding friendships and reflecting its heady mixture of accounting, art, and wine.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'This autobiography by Leanne Benjamin with Sarah Crompton reveals the extraordinary life and career of one of the worlds most important ballet dancers of the past fifty years. The book takes you behind the scenes to find a real understanding of the pleasure and the pain, the demands and the intense commitment it requires to become a ballet dancer.' (Publication summary)

'I’ll Be Gone is not just the story of an accidental masterpiece, a song written by Mike Rudd and recorded by his seminal Australian band ‘Spectrum’ in 1969. It is also the story of a time of unprecedented political and cultural upheaval and promise both in Australia and the Western world. 

'Most of all, I’ll Be Gone is the story of a unique Australian artist and his unerring artistic vision, often in the face of immense personal hardship and sorrow.'

Source : publication summary

'David’s girlfriend dumped him, he writes about bars for a shrinking newspaper, and he’s desperately searching for meaning amongst Sydney’s shallow social and dating scene.

'Then he meets a young woman at a party who just might be the answer to his life’s meaninglessness. However, she’s only 19 – and one of his journalism student’s friends.

'Drowning in the Shallows is about a man who tries to curb his sleazier tendencies in the #metoo era, about a cat’s ruthless attempt to dominate its owner, and about how – in a society obsessed with networking – we’re more estranged than ever.'

Source: publisher's blurb

'This book examines the life and career of acclaimed designer, Kristian Fredrikson (1940–2005), who worked across genres of theatre, dance, opera, film and television.

'His collaborations with leading choreographers and directors saw scenes of unleashed imagination, breathtaking beauty and impeccable craftsmanship, pulsing with human emotion.'

Source: publisher's blurb

'Since childhood, Mark Carr wanted to and fly he did … firstly as a naval aviator, a jet instructor and then pilot for Cathay Pacific Airways.

'This ‘techno-biography’ is written for those who, like him, seemingly have hydraulic oil flowing through their veins. However the book also gives readers of a non-flying background an insight into military and civil aviation.

'Sit in the cockpit with Mark and gain a rare insight into how these amazing machines, that we now take for granted, work, and how the men and women in the cockpits and flight decks operate them safely and efficiently.

'His story is also entwined with historical context including his first-hand account of the infamous Australian Pilots’ Dispute of 1989 and life as an expatriate in Hong Kong.'

Source: publisher's blurb

'This book tells the story of the cyclists who were overcome by the need to venture forth on two wheels; the courageous men and women who undertook some of the most epic bicycle journeys of all time.

'Wild Ride reminds us of a thrilling period of exploration all but forgotten in the age of the motorcar. Daniel Oakman takes us on a rich ride through the 130 years of Australian cycling; from the overlanding heroes of Arthur Richardson and Francis Birtles, to the lesser known but no less amazing feats of Jerome Murif, Ted Ryko and Joe Pearson, through to modern-day bikepacking trailblazers such as Kate Leeming, Tegan Streeter and Tom Richards. Celebrity riders are here too; from the historic icons of Hubert 'Oppy' Opperman, Wendy Duncan and Shirley Law, to the more recent triumphs of actor Sam Johnson and his audacious quest to ride a unicycle 15,000 kilometres around the country.

'You will be astounded by their journeys, retold here with sparkling clarity. Be inspired for your next pedal powered adventure.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

A Melbourne sound that is at once both rakish and debonair. So what specifically is it about Melbourne that, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, it’s able to support around 465 live music venues as compared to 453 in New York, 385 in Tokyo and 245 in London despite its population being a fraction of those major world cities? Despite the flaky weather, the footy and Netflix, Melbournians are committed to going out at night and in great numbers in heat or hail to listen to live music and to find those bands and singers they’ve heard on Spotify or discovered on Soundcloud.

Source: Publisher