Telling Stories : Australian Life and Literature, 1935-2012

Presented in a series of informative, witty, intelligent, and thought-provoking essays, Telling Stories explores the interaction between literary culture and the public sphere in Australia. In doing so, the book unearths the fascinating and changing role that literature has played in Australia's sporting, political, civic, and cultural life. Following a chronological structure from 1935 to 2010, the essays span many forms (fiction, memoir, letters, public lectures, theatre, cartoons, as well as song) so that authors - expressing themselves in very different ways and in different historical periods - are heard in conversation for the first time. Accomplished writers and canonical texts share the pages with political milestones, cinematic breakthroughs, turning points in popular culture, largely forgotten novels, and memorable musical and sporting moments, in order to provide a fresh kaleidoscopic view of literary Australia.