AustLit
Latest Issues
AbstractHistoryArchive Description
''In every religion I can think of, there exists some variation on the theme of abandoning the settled life and walking one's way to godliness. The Hindu Sadhu, leaving behind family and wealth to live as a beggar; the pilgrims of Compostela walking away their sins; the circumambulators of the Buddhist kora; the Hajj. What could this ritual journeying be but symbolic, idealised versions of the foraging life? By taking to the road we free ourselves of baggage, both physical and psychological. We walk back to our original condition, to our best selves.'
'After many thousands of years, the nomads are disappearing, swept away by modernity. Robyn Davidson has spent a good part of her life with nomadic cultures. In this fascinating and moving essay she evokes a vanishing way of life, and notes a paradox: that even as classical nomads are disappearing, hypermobility has become the hallmark of contemporary life. In a time of environmental peril, she argues, the nomadic way with nature still offers valuable lessons. No Fixed Address is part lament, part evocation and part exhilarating speculative journey.' (Publication summary)
Notes
-
Includes correspondence from Alan Atkinson, Geoffrey Bolton, James Bradley, Anna Clark, John Hirst and Mark Mckenna relating to Inga Clendinnen's essay 'The History Question' in Quarterly Essay no. 23.
-
Editor's note: Kate Grenville's response to 'The History Question' was received as this Quarterly Essay was going to press. It, and Inga Clendinnen's reply, will appear in the next issue.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
-
Nomads' Perspective on Destruction of the Planet
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: Eureka Street , 22 January vol. 17 no. 1 2007; (p. 31-32)
— Review of No Fixed Address : Nomads and the Fate of the Planet 2006 single work essay -
The Pointed Review
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: National Indigenous Times , 8 February vol. 6 no. 122 2007; (p. 32)
— Review of Writing Never Arrives Naked : Early Aboriginal Cultures of Writing in Australia 2006 single work criticism ; Contemporary Indigenous Plays 2007 anthology drama ; Darby : One Hundred Years of Life in a Changing Culture 2006 single work life story ; No Fixed Address : Nomads and the Fate of the Planet 2006 single work essay -
A World View Built on Worst-Case Scenarios
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: The Australian Literary Review , February vol. 2 no. 1 2007; (p. 12-13)
— Review of No Fixed Address : Nomads and the Fate of the Planet 2006 single work essay -
Untitled
2006
single work
review
— Appears in: Reviews in Australian Studies , vol. 1 no. 10 2006;
— Review of No Fixed Address : Nomads and the Fate of the Planet 2006 single work essay
-
A World View Built on Worst-Case Scenarios
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: The Australian Literary Review , February vol. 2 no. 1 2007; (p. 12-13)
— Review of No Fixed Address : Nomads and the Fate of the Planet 2006 single work essay -
The Pointed Review
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: National Indigenous Times , 8 February vol. 6 no. 122 2007; (p. 32)
— Review of Writing Never Arrives Naked : Early Aboriginal Cultures of Writing in Australia 2006 single work criticism ; Contemporary Indigenous Plays 2007 anthology drama ; Darby : One Hundred Years of Life in a Changing Culture 2006 single work life story ; No Fixed Address : Nomads and the Fate of the Planet 2006 single work essay -
Nomads' Perspective on Destruction of the Planet
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: Eureka Street , 22 January vol. 17 no. 1 2007; (p. 31-32)
— Review of No Fixed Address : Nomads and the Fate of the Planet 2006 single work essay -
Untitled
2006
single work
review
— Appears in: Reviews in Australian Studies , vol. 1 no. 10 2006;
— Review of No Fixed Address : Nomads and the Fate of the Planet 2006 single work essay