Monthly Archive for: ‘April, 2013’

Alone in Berlin … in Berlin

It’s spring in Berlin but the cement “coffins” at the Holocaust memorial still cast chilling shadows. In the Berliner Dom crypt, the sarcophagi are larger and more opulent but the gloom and mustiness mean I can’t avoid reality: these silent tombs speak loudly of doom and death. Otto Quangel, a key character in Alone in

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Prizes galore!

So many prizes; so many wonderful books! Among recent announcements is the Griffin Poetry Prize 2013 International and Canadian Short Lists, with Liquid Nitrogen by Jennifer Maiden (Giramondo) in the mix. The winners, to be announced at the Griffin Poetry Prize Awards evening on Thursday, June 13, will each be awarded $65,000. The Commonwealth Book

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Mateship with Birds

There’s no mystery as to why this delightfully easy-to-read novel is gaining plaudits. In Mateship with Birds Carrie Tiffany writes effortlessly and intriguingly about the natural world, rural life and desire. It’s a winning combination. Set in the 1950s, on the outskirts of the Victorian country town Cohuna, this quirky novel serves up a scraggly

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What lights Cate Kennedy’s imaginative fire?

Cate Kennedy’s luminous short story collection, Like a House on Fire, was recently shortlisted for the Stella Prize. In this Q&A, Kennedy casts light on what fuels her imagination and guides her creative instinct as she writes. A number of the stories in Like a House on Fire are about children relating to parents and

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Australians in international short story longlist

Four authors identified as Australian have been included in the 75-strong longlist for the prestigious Frank O’Connor International Short Story Prize. They are Andy Kissane, The Swarm (Puncher and Wattmann), Susan Midalia, An Unknown Sky and Other Stories (The University of Western Australia Publishing), Jennifer Mills, The Rest Is Weight (University of Queensland Press) and

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Pink Penguins to aid in breast care

What do Madame Bovary, A Room of One’s Own, Pride and Prejudice, Love in a Cold Climate, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Wuthering Heights have in common? They’re all Pink Penguins and if you buy one of these titles (among others) you can help place Breast Care Nurses in communities across Australia. Penguin has teamed up

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