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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'For it is in The Simple Act of Reading where the living and the dead, the real and the imagined, meet. It is in The Simple Act of Reading where we exercise those two most sacred of human vocations: compassion and creativity. For as we know, without either of these primes there is no possibility for a humanity present or past worth talking about. Junot Diaz
'A collection of essays and memoir pieces on the topic of reading, in particular what it means for writers to be readers and how that has shaped their life. The Simple Act of Reading will support Sydney Story Factory by emphasising the importance of reading in shaping an individual's future.
'Contributors include; Debra Adelaide, Joan London, Delia Falconer, Sunil Badami, Gabrielle Carey, Luke Davies, Tegan Bennett Daylight, Kate Forsyth, Giulia Giuffre, Andy Griffiths, Anita Heiss, Gail Jones, Jill Jones, Catherine Keenan, Malcolm Knox, Wayne Macauley, Fiona McFarlane, David Malouf, Rosie Scott, Carrie Tiffany and Geordie Williamson.' (Publication summary)
Notes
-
Epigraph:
For it is in the simple act of reading where the living
and the dead, the real and the imagined, meet.
It is in the simple act of reading where we exercise those
two most sacred of human vocations: compassion and creativity.
For as we know, without either of these
primes there is no possibility for a humanity present or
past worth talking about.
-
Contents indexed selectively.
Contents
- Introduction, single work essay (p. 1-4)
-
Letters from Herge
The Famous Penpal
Herge and Me,
single work
autobiography
'As a child, Australian author Luke Davies' empathy with fictional teen reporter Tintin led to a special relationship with Herge, the Belgian artist who created him. They became pen pals and Davies so treasured the letters and cards he still has them 40 years on. Here Davies recalls the dizzying boyhood excitement of each delivery and how the joys and dreams they sparked forged his later creative life.' (p. 12)
-
A Phone Call to Helen Garner,
single work
column
'Tegan Bennett Daylight celebrates the acclaimed and often controversial author on the eve of her 70th birthday' (18).
- Books Are Dangerous, single work essay (p. 33-38)
- Reading and Secrets, single work essay (p. 41-56)
- Wessex, single work essay (p. 59-65)
- This Is Your Life, single work essay (p. 67-73)
- I Will Tell You Something, single work essay (p. 74-80)
- A Place of Possibilities, single work essay (p. 83-91)
- The Only Russian in Sydney, single work essay (p. 93-97)
- Not All Writers Began as Readers, single work essay (p. 99-106)
- Reading the Signs, single work essay (p. 109-116)
- In Your Dreams, single work essay (p. 119-132)
- The Not so Simple Act of (Collaborative) Reading, single work essay (p. 135-143)
- Far Enough : The Perculiar World of the Plains, single work essay (p. 145-150)
- The Tower, single work essay (p. 153-163)
- Eleanor Reads Emma, single work short story (p. 165-173)
- A Native in the Land of Reading, single work essay (p. 175-180)
- Snip!Snap!Snip! Or, Merry Stories and Funny Pictures : How Reading Shaped My Writing, single work essay (p. 183-190)
- 'This Stuff Tastes of Window' : Reading as a Writer, single work essay (p. 193-199)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
-
Review : The Simple Act of Reading
single work
review
— Review of The Simple Act of Reading 2015 anthology essay -
Debra Adelaide (ed) The Simple Act of Reading (2015); Antonia Fraser (ed) The Pleasure of Reading (2015)
2020
single work
review
— Appears in: Jessie Street National Women's Library Newsletter , July / August vol. 31 no. 3 2020;
— Review of The Simple Act of Reading 2015 anthology essay -
Debra Adelaide (ed) : The Simple Act of Reading
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Newtown Review of Books , August 2015;
— Review of The Simple Act of Reading 2015 anthology essay -
An Addiction to a Liberating Drug
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 6-7 June 2015; (p. 32-33) The Age , 6 June 2015; (p. 34)
— Review of The Simple Act of Reading 2015 anthology essay
-
An Addiction to a Liberating Drug
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 6-7 June 2015; (p. 32-33) The Age , 6 June 2015; (p. 34)
— Review of The Simple Act of Reading 2015 anthology essay -
Debra Adelaide (ed) : The Simple Act of Reading
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Newtown Review of Books , August 2015;
— Review of The Simple Act of Reading 2015 anthology essay -
Review : The Simple Act of Reading
single work
review
— Review of The Simple Act of Reading 2015 anthology essay -
Debra Adelaide (ed) The Simple Act of Reading (2015); Antonia Fraser (ed) The Pleasure of Reading (2015)
2020
single work
review
— Appears in: Jessie Street National Women's Library Newsletter , July / August vol. 31 no. 3 2020;
— Review of The Simple Act of Reading 2015 anthology essay