Nicholas Birns & Rebecca McNeer 
A Companion to Australian Literature since 1900 

A fresh, twenty-first-century look at Australian literature in a broad, inclusive, and multicultural sense.


Australian literature is one of the world’s richest, dealing not only with ‘local’ Australian themes and issues but with those at the forefront of global literary discussion. This book offers a fresh look at Australian literature, taking a broad view of what literature is and viewing it with Australian cultural and societal concerns in mind. Especially relevant is the heightened role of indigenous people and issues following the landmark 1992
Mabo decision on Aboriginal land rights. But attention to other multicultural connections and the competing pull of Australia’s continued connection to Great Britain are also enlightening. Chapters are devoted to internationally prominent writers such as Patrick White, Peter Carey, David Malouf, and Christina Stead; fast-rising authors such as Gerald Murnane and Tim Winton; less-publicized writers such as Xavier Herbert and Dorothy Hewett; and on prose fiction, poetry, and drama, women’s and gay and lesbian writing, children’s literature, and science fiction. The Companion goes beyond Eurocentric ideas of national literary history to reveal the full, resplendent variety of Australian writing.


Contributors: Nicholas Birns, Rebecca Mc Neer, Ali Gumillya Baker, Gus Worby, Anita Heiss, Ruth Feingold, Wenche Ommundsen, Susan Jacobowitz, Deborah Madsen, Marguerite Nolan, Tanya Dalziell, Richard Carr, David Mc Cooey, Maryrose Casey, Brigid Rooney, John Beston, John Scheckter, Werner Senn, Carolyn Bliss, Paul Genono, Lyn Jacobs, Nicole Moore, Ouyang Yu, Jaroslav Kusnir, Brigid Magner, Russel Blackford, Toni Johnson-Woods, Theodore F. Sheckels, Alice Mills, Gary Clark, Damien Barlow, Leigh Dale


Nicholas Birns teaches literature at the New School in New York City and is the editor of
Antipodes. Rebecca Mc Neer is Associate Dean Emerita at Ohio University Southern.

Tabella dei contenuti

Introduction – Rebecca Mc Neer and Nicholas Birns

Aboriginality since Mabo: Writing, Politics, and Art – Gus Worby and Ali Gummilya Baker

Writing Aboriginality: Authors on ‘Being Aboriginal’ – Anita Heiss

From Empire to Nation: The Shifting Sands of Australian National Identity – Ruth Feingold

Multicultural Writing in Australia – Wenche Ommundsen

Jewish Writers in Australia – Susan Jacobowitz

Asian-Australian Literature – Deborah Madsen

The Demidenko Affair and Australian Hoaxes – Marguerite Nolan

Australian Women’s Writing from 1970 to 2005 – Tanya Dalziell

Writing the Nation, 1900-1940 – Richard Carr

Australian Poetry from Kenneth Slessor to Jennifer Strauss – Nicholas Birns

Australian Poetry, 1970-2005 – David Mc Cooey

Australian Drama, 1900-1970 – Maryrose Casey

Australian Drama since 1970 – Maryrose Casey

Christina Stead – Brigid Rooney

Patrick White – John Beston

David Malouf – John Scheckter

Les Murray – Werner Senn

Peter Carey – Carolyn Bliss

Gerald Murnane – Paul Genoni

Tim Winton and Western Australian Writing – Lyn Jacobs

Dorothy Hewett – Nicole Moore

Xavier Herbert – Ouyang Yu

Michael Wilding, Murray Bail, Rodney Hall, and Frank Moorhouse – Jaroslav Kusnir

Trans-Tasman Literary Expatriates – Brigid Magner

Australian Science Fiction – Russell Blackford

Popular Australian Writing – Toni Johnson-Woods

Australian Film – Theodore Sheckels

Australian Children’s Literature – Alice Mills

Environmental Themes in Australian Literature – Gary Clark

Australian Gay and Lesbian Writing – Damien Barlow and Leigh Dale

Notes on the Contributors

Index