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'Dark as Last Night confirms, once again, that Tony Birch is a master of the short story. These exceptional stories capture the importance of human connection at pivotal moments in our lives, whether those occur because of the loss of a loved one or the uncertainties of childhood. In this collection we witness a young girl struggling to protect her mother from her father’s violence, two teenagers clumsily getting to know one another by way of a shared love of music, and a man mourning the death of his younger brother, while beset by memories and regrets from their shared past. Throughout this powerful collection, Birch’s concern for the humanity of those who are often marginalised or overlooked shines bright.'
Source : publisher's blurb
Notes
-
Dedication:
For Charlie Atticus Burke
— arrived in the world on 27 November 2020 —
a cousin for Isabel Kit and Archie James.
Contents
- After Life, single work short story (p. 1-28)
- Bobby Moses, single work short story (p. 39-51)
- Bicycle Thieves, single work short story (p. 51-70)
- Probate, single work short story (p. 71-80)
- Starman, single work short story (p. 81-96)
- The Blood Bank : A Love Story, single work short story (p. 97-102)
- The Death of Michael McGuire, single work short story (p. 103-114)
- The Manger, single work short story (p. 115-130)
- Together, single work short story (p. 131-142)
- The Librarian, single work short story (p. 143-156)
- Animal Welfare, single work short story (p. 157-170)
- Flight, single work short story (p. 171-186)
- Without Sin, short story (p. 187-198)
- Lemonade, single work short story (p. 199-210)
- Riding Trains with Thelma Plum, single work short story (p. 211-216)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Sound recording.
Works about this Work
-
Reading Dark as Last Night in a Pandemic
2023
single work
review
— Appears in: Critic Swallows Book : Ten Years of the Sydney Review of Books 2023; -
Award-winning Author Tony Birch Reveals What Ignited His Passion for Stories about Human Connection
2022
single work
column
— Appears in: ABC News [Online] , June 2022; -
y
Book It In : Tony Birch
Paul Daley
(interviewer),
2021
23740709
2021
single work
podcast
interview
'Paul Daley talks to Tony Birch about finding affection on the so-called margins of the inner city, the injustice of climate change and Blak humour. Birch also describes why he doesn’t view his fiction as having a political message'
-
y
At Home with Tony Birch
2021
23450178
2021
single work
podcast
interview
'Dr Tony Birch is an activist, historian and essayist. He is the author of three novels - The White Girl (winner of the 2020 NSW Premier's Award for Indigenous Writing and shortlisted for the 2020 Miles Franklin Literary Prize), Ghost River (winner of the 2016 Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Indigenous Writing), and Blood (shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award).
'He is also the author of Shadowboxing and four short story collections, Dark As Last Night, Father’s Day, The Promise and Common People, as well as the poetry collection Whisper Songs.' (Production introduction)
-
Dark as Last Night by Tony Birch Review : 16 New Vignettes from a Master of the Short Story
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 9 July 2021;
— Review of Dark As Last Night 2021 selected work short story
-
Carrying Our Stories : Tony Birch’s New Short Fiction
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , August no. 434 2021; (p. 40)
— Review of Dark As Last Night 2021 selected work short story'‘And what is wrong with sad stories? The world is always sad.’ So advises Little Red, the aged, marginalised, knowing female character in the title story of Tony Birch’s latest short fiction collection. As in Birch’s previous works, Dark as Last Night contains an abundance of sad stories, but with grief and trauma ameliorated by the main protagonist’s affection for at least one other character, be it a family member or neighbour.' (Introduction)
-
Tony Birch, Dark as Last Night
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 14-20 August 2021;
— Review of Dark As Last Night 2021 selected work short story'Tony Birch has published four short story collections in a little over a decade, a dedication to the form with few comparisons in contemporary Australian literature. He writes stories as Ernest Hemingway suggested a true practitioner of the craft should – with the devotion of a priest and the guts of a burglar – but he also shares with the great Modernist a determination to winnow inessentials. Perhaps because he was raised in straitened circumstances, Birch has become adept at making do with less.' (Introduction)
-
The Best New Books to Read in August as Selected by Avid Readers and Critics
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: ABC News [Online] , August 2021;
— Review of Once There Were Wolves 2021 single work novel ; Dark As Last Night 2021 selected work short story 'Welcome to ABC Arts' new monthly book column. Each month, we'll present a shortlist of new releases read and recommended by The Bookshelf's Kate Evans and The Book Show's Claire Nichols and Sarah L'Estrange — alongside freelance writers and book reviewers. This month, we're thrilled to present recommendations from Declan Fry and Khalid Warsame.' (Introduction) -
Books Roundup : Late Bloomer, Muddy People, Dark as Last Night, When Things are Alive They Hum
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: Kill Your Darlings [Online] , August 2021;
— Review of Late Bloomer : How An Autism Diagnosis Changed My Life 2021 single work autobiography ; Muddy People 2021 single work autobiography ; Dark As Last Night 2021 selected work short story ; When Things Are Alive They Hum 2021 single work novel -
Dark as Last Night by Tony Birch Review : 16 New Vignettes from a Master of the Short Story
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 9 July 2021;
— Review of Dark As Last Night 2021 selected work short story -
y
At Home with Tony Birch
2021
23450178
2021
single work
podcast
interview
'Dr Tony Birch is an activist, historian and essayist. He is the author of three novels - The White Girl (winner of the 2020 NSW Premier's Award for Indigenous Writing and shortlisted for the 2020 Miles Franklin Literary Prize), Ghost River (winner of the 2016 Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Indigenous Writing), and Blood (shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award).
'He is also the author of Shadowboxing and four short story collections, Dark As Last Night, Father’s Day, The Promise and Common People, as well as the poetry collection Whisper Songs.' (Production introduction)
-
y
Book It In : Tony Birch
Paul Daley
(interviewer),
2021
23740709
2021
single work
podcast
interview
'Paul Daley talks to Tony Birch about finding affection on the so-called margins of the inner city, the injustice of climate change and Blak humour. Birch also describes why he doesn’t view his fiction as having a political message'
-
Award-winning Author Tony Birch Reveals What Ignited His Passion for Stories about Human Connection
2022
single work
column
— Appears in: ABC News [Online] , June 2022; -
Reading Dark as Last Night in a Pandemic
2023
single work
review
— Appears in: Critic Swallows Book : Ten Years of the Sydney Review of Books 2023;
Awards
- 2022 shortlisted Prime Minister's Literary Awards — Fiction
- 2022 winner Queensland Literary Awards — University of Southern Queensland Australian Short Story Collection – Steele Rudd Award
- 2022 longlisted Colin Roderick Award
- 2022 shortlisted Booksellers Choice Award BookPeople Book of the Year — Adult Fiction Book of the Year
- 2022 winner New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards — Christina Stead Prize for Fiction