All writers begin as readers.
This is an ode, a love letter, to the magic of reading. To the spark
that's set off when the reader thinks ... I can do this too. Some of
Australia's top writers take us through these moments of revelation
through the dog-eared pages of their favourite Australian books.
Ellen van Neerven finds kin on the page with Miles Franklin-winner Tara
June Winch. A.S. Patric discovers a dark mirror for our times in David
Malouf's retelling of an episode from The Iliad. Ashley Hay pens letters
of appreciation and friendship to Charlotte Wood. These and many more
writers come together to draw knowledge from the distinctive personal
and sensory stories of this country: its thefts and losses, and its
imagined futures. Australian fiction shows us what it is possible to say
and, perhaps, what still needs to be said.
Reading like an Australian writer is an inspirational and heartfelt
collection of essays that will enrich your reading of Australian stories
and guide you in your own writing.
Featuring contributions by Ellen van Neerven, A.S. Patric, Peter
Polites, Ashley Hay, Roanna Gonsalves, Nicholas Jose, Julienne van Loon,
Tegan Bennett Daylight, Ryan O'Neill, Rose Michael, Jane Rawson, Anna
Spargo-Ryan, Felicity Castagna, Nigel Featherstone, Cate Kennedy, Angela
Meyer, Fiona McFarlane, Hoa Pham, Maria Takolander, Debra Adelaide,
Emily Maguire, Belinda Castles, Irini Savvides, Stephanie Bishop, Beth
Yahp and Mykaela Saunders.
'A communal praise song to Australian literature in its many guises.
I'll be returning to these pages repeatedly.' - Kathryn Heyman
'Belinda Castles has produced - through canny, insightful curating -
an invaluable new resource for studious writers and devoted readers
alike. The essays collected within these pages not only serve to
document contemporary Australian literature, they actively work to
sustain its future.' - Sam Twyford-Moore
'This is a timely book, bringing fine and inventive reading strategies
to so much significant and personally cherished writing.' - Brenda
Walker
Reading Like an Australian Writer is supported by the Copyright
Agency's Cultural Fund.
