A Momentary Taste of Being

I'm not certain that enough good can be said of Kate Grenville.  In this second book of a trilogy devoted to the early history of Australia, she gives us the story of  Daniel Rooke--fashioned loosely after the real-life character of William Dawes.  William Dawes was an early student of the Aboriginal peoples and their language as well as an astronomer and all round polymath.  He was expelled from Australia and went on to join forces with William Wilberforce and, eventually, to open a school for freed-slaves in Antigua. What Ms. Grenville gives us here is a remarkable story of first contact--of trying to forge the bonds of understanding that would bridge a vast gulf between the experiences of two different cultures.  She performs a remarkable feat in being able to show us the darkness of "civilization" as viewed by the aboriginal people.  She also speaks of the tenderness of heart and kindness that can bridge any gap.  She does all of this in language...

Australian literature considered: the triumvirate

The Great Australian Novel: Child Lost in the Bush motif considered

Australian Literature Considered--Urban or Outback? While the literature is broad enough to encompass both, too often the Urban Literature is not well enough considered because of the exotic nature and the powerful contrasts of the land.  Consider Peter Weir's carefully constructed films Picnic at Hanging Rock and The Last Wave as examples where the Outback ascends and the Urban Dweller has a secondary place.  On the other hand, the literature supports the distinctly urban tale and the tale where the two are brought together-- Priscilla, Queen of the Desert stands out as an example.

Lists of Worthwhile Down Under Reading I'm ecstatic to see David Malouf's powerful Ransom on the list.  And it seems apparent that I must indulge in some Henry Handel Richardson some day soon--much is available online through Australia Gutenberg--perhaps elsewhere.

Several lists of contenders Of them, it is the Christina Stead I must eventually read.

Two Men--a Kafka inspired film moved to the Outback

Literary Encounters a L'Australia

Whispering Gums posts on Australian Indigeous Authors including the poet, Oodgeroo Noonuccal. The excepts from the poetry are very fine.

The indigenous peoples of Australia have given me some of my favorite works of art--Peter Weil's magnificent The Last Wave , the music of the didgeridoo, Werner Herzog's Where the Green Ants Dream , and several books whose titles I cannot recall--these are all derivative works, which led me so seek out the originals-- and now Whispering Gums shares with us another reason for celebrating the diversity and wonder of all peoples.

I picked the above referenced book from the library more for its subject matter than for the author.  Indeed, the name of the author was somewhat obscured by the plethora of tags and IDs from the library.  What a pleasant surprise to find that it was by Peter Carey--an author whose work I had formulated a wish to take in.  Now, I know this will not be exemplary of his work; however, it provides an entrée to the prose--a sampling, as it were. from Wrong About Japan Peter Carey "Come!" he called from the bathroom, "Come now. Quick!" Whatever he had seen in the bathroom, I knew immediately, was very strange. He'd already seen weird Japanese stuff on the way here--the white-gloved taxi driver, the extraordinary neon-lit shop of pink and organe and blue flowers, a newsstand filled with countless manga with spines two inches thick.  But the strangeness he was now negotiating was of a different magnitude. "Everybody with a taste for traditional architectu...

via Literary Saloon, this list of favorite Australian novels. For those with Kindles or other E-books that can use TXT or for which you can produce properly formatted texts,  #2 The Fortunes of Richard Mahony is available at Project Gutenbery Australia.

For those as thoroughly unacquainted with a major English-language literature as I am, this list of Favorite Australian Novels comes as a welcome anodyne. I know very little about Australian literature--I'm fond of On the Beach, A Town Like Alice, Picnic at Hanging Rock , and other things that probably do not rise to much more than popular literature.  I've heard both of the authors and some of the books featured here.  My favorite book containing Australian literature is Yorro Yorro by David Mowaljarlai , which contains some of the stories of the original people of the continent along with an explanation of some of their traditions and practices. I also recall a marvelous children's book set in the Dream Time--I'd have to comb my shelves to find it. But my knowledge, considering that all of this should be readily accessible to me, is admittedly dismal--something requiring remediation.  Perhaps starting with Patrick White. Note:  Another list of Australian F...