I launched Lucy Durneen's Wild Gestures on 11 January at Buck Mulligan's Irish whiskey bar-bookshop. This was my speech. * Lucy Durneen’s Wild Gestures is a stunning collection of stories, so full of insight on the unconquerable spaces between people, the missed or never possible opportunities, the mistakes that couldn’t be otherwise, the yearning for things we … Continue reading Wild Gestures by Lucy Durneen
review
Captives reviewed in Cordite
Jo Langdon has written a beautiful and perceptive review of Captives for Cordite Poetry Review. 'The space beyond the stories is essential, and the words themselves appear with an illusory ease and simplicity.' Read the rest here. Captives is widely available, including from the publisher, Readings, Booktopia, Avid Reader, Fishpond (free worldwide shipping), or your local bookstore. The ebook is available on Kindle, Google Play, iBooks, Kobo & more.
Review of Janet Frame’s In the Memorial Room for The Australian
Janet Frame is one of my all-time favourite authors. Her writing is surprising, absurd, knowing, funny, sad, dark, moving, imaginative and honest. She was an incredibly hard-working writer, often having to work in uncomfortable or strange conditions (while overcoming much personal tragedy). I've read quite a few of her novels; plus her short fiction, her … Continue reading Review of Janet Frame’s In the Memorial Room for The Australian
Guest post: Troy Martin on Ian McEwan’s Sweet Tooth
Jonathan Cape (Random House) 9780224097383 September 2012 (buy paperback, ebook) reviewed by Troy Martin This isn’t a spy drama. Ian McEwan’s Sweet Tooth is more than a novel of London or the 1970s. It’s bound with literary references, but you do not need a companion to English literature to enjoy this novel. That is the most … Continue reading Guest post: Troy Martin on Ian McEwan’s Sweet Tooth
Review of George Dawes Green's Ravens for ABC Radio National's The Book Show
I recently reviewed the thriller Ravens, by George Dawes Green, for The Book Show on ABC Radio National. Have a listen, here.
The Goose Bath: Poems – Janet Frame
9780980416541, WilkinsFarago (2008, Australia) After reading Faces in the Water by Janet Frame about a year ago, I vowed I would read more of her work. The prose was absorbing and raw, and really striking. When I heard that Melbourne publisher WilkinsFarago were bringing out a collection of her poetry I couldn't wait to dive … Continue reading The Goose Bath: Poems – Janet Frame
Overland 192
Overland is an Australian literary journal that has been around for over fifty years. It claims to be ‘temper democratic, bias Australian' and is proudly left-leaning. I got my hands on the Spring issue (no. 192) at the Melbourne Writer's Festival and have been devouring the eclectic selection of articles, poetry, stories, and reviews here … Continue reading Overland 192