Australia: A Traveler's Literary Companion

by Robert Ross (Editor), Katherine Silver (Editor)

Overview

Journey down under in the company of Australia's finest writers. From stories of survival in the bush to vacationing at the beach, from immigrants adjusting to the new land to aboriginal displacement to the city, these twenty-five enthralling stories allow the reader to cover this large continent in a most imaginative way. Ranging from the colonial period to contemporary Australia, these stories invoke the alluring scent of gum trees, the exotic kangaroos and dingoes, the busy city streets of Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, and the vast and mysterious outback, as well as some unforgettable Australian characters and their voices. By traveling with the greatest Australian writers who know the land best, readers can more deeply experience the culture of this country and the rich tradition of its literature. Contributors include Thea Astley, Murray Bail, Barbara Baynton, Peter Carey, Eleanor Dark, Robert Drewe, Helen Garner, Xavier Herbert, Janette Turner Hospital, Elizabeth Jolley, C.J. Koch, David Malouf, Oodgeroo and Kabul Oodgeroo Noonuccal, Henry Lawson, Katharine Susannah Prichard, Steele Rudd, Mandy Sayer, Arthur Upfield, Judah Waten, Archie Weller, Patrick White, Michael Wilding, Tim Winton, and B. Wongar.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781883513054
Publisher:	Whereabouts Press
Publication date:	10/15/1998
Series:	Travelers' Literary Companions Series
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.25(h) x (d)

Editorial Reviews

Lamenting Crocodile Dundee, the swaggering movie bushman who succeeded in "charming millions abroad while embarrassing many Australians," editor Ross seeks to offer a more authentic introduction to the vast nation-continent of Australia. Containing stories set in nearly every corner of the country, the collection provides an ethnically diverse group of writers, as well as a cross section of Australian literary history. Patrick White, Australia's only Nobel Prize winner, turns in one of the collection's best stories in "The O'Dowds at Home," a tense vision of domestic hostility set in desolate bush country. Peter Carey's "American Dreams" offers a sly critique of life in a tourist town, while Janette Turner Hospital's "You Gave Me Hyacinths" is a touching, unsentimental glimpse into Australian teenage life. "Thomas Awkner Floats" by Tim Winton conveys the powerful uneasiness of a simple man on his first plane ride, a feeling matched by David Malouf's "A Medium," which depicts a boy's encounter with a spiritualist. A great drop-off in literary quality follows these stories, however, and the selection of aboriginal myth included here seems awkwardly transposed from its oral roots. While this collection may not present the absolute best that exists in Australian writing, it does create a more intimate portrait than American popular imagery usually provides. (July) FYI: Other countries visited in Whereabouts' Traveler's Literary Companion series include Costa Rica, Prague, Vietnam, Israel and Greece.

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly