AustLit
Latest Issues
Contents
-
Life's Trumpery Business,
single work
review
— Review of Henry Handel Richardson : The Letters 2000 selected work biography correspondence ; (p. 3-4) - Pastoral Carei"Once in a barbeque deep", single work poetry (p. 4)
- A Fiery Pleiade, single work criticism (p. 4-6)
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How the Poet Got His Wounds,
single work
review
— Review of Les Murray : A Life in Progress 2000 single work biography ; (p. 6-7) -
Writing to Order,
single work
review
— Review of Rolf Boldrewood : A Life 2000 single work criticism biography ; (p. 7) -
Leave the Spirits Alone,
single work
review
— Review of Belonging : Australians, Place and Aboriginal Ownership 2000 multi chapter work prose ; (p. 9) -
Who Can Speak for Whom?,
single work
review
— Review of The Cambridge Companion to Australian Literature 2000 anthology criticism ;(p. 11-12)'As editor of The Cambridge Companion to Australian Literature, Elizabeth Webby has had to perform the delicate balancing act now required of any literary guide: how to familiarize the reader (both national and international) with certain historical details – she includes a welcome mini- history of Australia as part of her introduction – which also serve as co-ordinates for an increasing wealth of material on reception and production, and the history of critical evaluation. While her chosen emphasis differs from the Oxford Literary History of Australia (1998), the two books share a culturally materialistic approach. There is, however, an additional “contrapuntal” aspect to Webby’s book which encourages a wider, more layered reading of Australian literature than earlier accounts.' (Introduction)
-
Best Books of 1901,
single work
criticism
(p. 12-13)
'In April 1901, three months after the Commonwealth of Australia had come into existence, Henry Lawson was sitting in London writing a preface to My Brilliant Career, the first novel of his young protegee Miles Franklin: “I saw that the work was Australian – born of the bush . . . the descriptions of bush life and scenery came startlingly, painfully real to me, and I know that, as far as they are concerned, the book is true to Australia – the truest I ever read.” Lawson had been in London since June 1900. He doesn’t appear to have been much interested in the formal trappings and arrangements of Federation, in spite of the ardent nationalist and republican sentiment that runs through all his writing.' (Introduction)
-
Made Noble in the Fire,
single work
review
— Review of True History of the Kelly Gang 2000 single work novel ; (p. 19-20) -
Untitled,
single work
review
— Review of Holden's Performance 1987 single work novel ; (p. 20) -
For the Last Reader,
single work
review
— Review of Drylands : A Book for the World's Last Reader 1999 single work novel ; Benang : From the Heart 1999 single work novel ; (p. 20) -
Poetry,
single work
review
— Review of Calyx : 30 Contemporary Australian Poets 2000 anthology poetry ;(p. 29)'The subtitle of this anthology is slightly misleading in that it includes only poets who began to be published widely in the 1990s. One thing that Calyx obviously demonstrates, therefore, is the vibrancy of recent Australian poetry, the breadth and depth of recent talent and the considerable publishing opportunities which exist for new writers. The assurance and openness of much of the work reflects a sure sense of community and audience which it would be hard to find elsewhere. Calyx is further confirmation that Australian poetry has grown to worldwide prominence.' (Introduction)
