AustLit
Latest Issues
Contents
- Heubler, single work short story (p. 3-39)
- Life of the Party, single work short story (p. 43-52)
- The Drover's Wife, single work short story (p. 55-61)
- Zoellner's Definition, single work short story (p. 65-74)
- Portrait of Electricity, single work short story humour (p. 77-93)
- The Silence, single work short story (p. 97-103)
- The Dog Show, single work short story (p. 107-112)
- Paradise, single work short story (p. 115-122)
- Ore, single work short story (p. 125-134)
- Cul-de-Sac (uncompleted), single work short story (p. 137-156)
- The Partitions, single work short story (p. 159-170)
- A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,M,N,O,P,Q,R,S,T,U,V,W,X,Y,Z, single work short story (p. 173-183)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Also sound recording.
Works about this Work
-
Morality at Bay : The Lesson of the Americas in Murray Bail's Homesickness
2014
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Antipodes , December vol. 28 no. 2 2014; (p. 275-288, 535.) 'For four decades Murray Bail's writing has been at the forefront of inventive and intellectual challenging Australian fiction, yet his preoccupations remain elusive, his works enigmatic. His first book, Contemporary Portraits and Other Stories, signalled the arrival of a major talent, an expectation matched by subsequent award-winning novels, such as Homesickness and Eucalyptus. His work, however, has been often accused of inventiveness for its own sake. Here, Ackland discusses Bail's Homesickness.' (Publication summary) -
The Longing for Nostalgia : Reimagining Post-War Childhood in Murray Bail’s Short Stories
2014
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Australian Studies , vol. 5 no. 2014;'Australian author Murray Bail is best known for his experimental short stories from the 1970s; however, throughout his writing career he has published many other stories that have not always received the same degree of critical attention. This article focuses on three short stories by Bail published in 1969, 1979 and 1995 respectively and explores the links between them. All set in post-war Australia, the stories focus on the lives of young male protagonists struggling with the transition between childhood and adulthood. Bail often focuses on seemingly minor events in the characters’ lives that change in meaning throughout the course of the story, so that each protagonist takes a journey from innocence to experience. New adult understandings of everyday activities inevitably begin to invade the protagonists’ consciousnesses, leading to feelings of loss and nostalgia for a past that can never be recovered.' (Publication abstract)
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Politics, Clichés and the 'Lucky Country' : Murray Bail's Critique of National Mythologies in 'Holden's Performance'
2011
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Zeitschrift fur Australienstudien , no. 25 2011; (p. 27-41) -
'Matisse Is Jammed with Confidence' : Painting and Creative Inspiration in the Early Writings of Murray Bail
2011
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Westerly , July vol. 56 no. 1 2011; (p. 198-215) Argues that the early writings of Murray Bail marked a radical break with the Australian realist tradition. -
The Long Hand of Murray Bail : Travel and Writing
2010
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Journeying and Journalling : Creative and Critical Meditations on Travel Writing 2010; (p. 25-36) 'In this paper Paul Sharrad suggests that Murray Bail 'could not have produced most of his work without journeying abroad, and that his book of travel observations, Longhand, offers insights into one particular kind of 'journeying' as well as his reliance on material picked up along his journeying out from and back to Australia. While he began serious writing around the age of 19 in his native South Australia, and composed some other stories during his years in Melbourne working in advertising, Bail did not really get going as a published writer until he had been overseas for several years, first in India and then England and Europe. His jottings in Longhand: a Writer's Notebook, show on the one hand, how his sense of being a writer affects his recording of the travel experience, and secondly, how much his travels have had an impact on his fiction.'' (25-26)
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Second Look
2004
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sunday Age , 29 August 2004; (p. 23)
— Review of Contemporary Portraits and Other Stories 1975 selected work short story -
Contemporary Portraits and Other Stories
1976
single work
review
— Appears in: Semper Floreat , February vol. 46 no. 1 1976; (p. 48)
— Review of Contemporary Portraits and Other Stories 1975 selected work short story -
Make or Fake? Some Current Fiction
1976
single work
review
— Appears in: Overland , Autumn no. 63 1976; (p. 52-56)
— Review of The First Journey : Two Short Novels 1975 selected work novel ; The Boarding House 1975 single work novel ; The First Journey 1975 single work novel ; The West Midland Underground : Stories 1975 selected work short story ; A Kindness Cup 1974 single work novel ; Contemporary Portraits and Other Stories 1975 selected work short story -
On the Occasion of Reading Seven Australian Book Length Pieces of Fiction (at least)
1975
single work
review
— Appears in: Makar , December vol. 11 no. 3 1975; (p. 42-51)
— Review of Johnno : A Novel 1975 single work novel ; A Place Among People 1975 single work novel ; The Short Story Embassy : A Novel 1975 single work novel ; The West Midland Underground : Stories 1975 selected work short story ; Tamarisk Row 1974 single work novel ; A Collapsible Man 1975 single work novel ; Contemporary Portraits and Other Stories 1975 selected work short story -
Untitled
1975
single work
review
— Appears in: Westerly , December no. 4 1975; (p. 73-76)
— Review of Contemporary Portraits and Other Stories 1975 selected work short story ; The Fat Man in History : Short Stories 1974 selected work short story -
'Matisse Is Jammed with Confidence' : Painting and Creative Inspiration in the Early Writings of Murray Bail
2011
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Westerly , July vol. 56 no. 1 2011; (p. 198-215) Argues that the early writings of Murray Bail marked a radical break with the Australian realist tradition. -
"Stories That Take Root Become Like Things, Misshapen Things." Murray Bail's Eucalyptus : Contesting Traditional Narratives about the Land and Women in Australia?
"Stories That Take Root Become Like Things, Misshapen Things." Murray Bail's Eucalyptus: cuestionando narrativas tradicionais sobre a terra e a muller en Australia?
2008
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Australia and Galicia : Defeating the Tyranny of Distance 2008; (p. 291-307) -
The Long Hand of Murray Bail : Travel and Writing
2010
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Journeying and Journalling : Creative and Critical Meditations on Travel Writing 2010; (p. 25-36) 'In this paper Paul Sharrad suggests that Murray Bail 'could not have produced most of his work without journeying abroad, and that his book of travel observations, Longhand, offers insights into one particular kind of 'journeying' as well as his reliance on material picked up along his journeying out from and back to Australia. While he began serious writing around the age of 19 in his native South Australia, and composed some other stories during his years in Melbourne working in advertising, Bail did not really get going as a published writer until he had been overseas for several years, first in India and then England and Europe. His jottings in Longhand: a Writer's Notebook, show on the one hand, how his sense of being a writer affects his recording of the travel experience, and secondly, how much his travels have had an impact on his fiction.'' (25-26)
-
Politics, Clichés and the 'Lucky Country' : Murray Bail's Critique of National Mythologies in 'Holden's Performance'
2011
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Zeitschrift fur Australienstudien , no. 25 2011; (p. 27-41) -
Interview : Murray Bail
Jim Davidson
(interviewer),
1982
single work
interview
— Appears in: Meanjin , Winter vol. 41 no. 2 1982; (p. 264-276) Sideways from the Page : The Meanjin Interviews 1983; (p. 373-390)
Awards
- 1976 shortlisted National Book Council Award for Australian Literature