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… Bony was ready, the embodiment of human resource, dependability, and untiring stamina. Lithe of figure, dressed in white shirt, open-necked and sleeve-rolled, almost skintight grey moleskin trousers, elastic sided high-heeled riding boots, and wearing on his head nothing but its natural covering … ( Upfield, Windee, 100) Detective Inspector Napoleon “Bony” Bonaparte was the creation of crime…
I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that until this week, I’d not read any of JM Coetzee’s work. Coetzee is not only a celebrated South African-born novelist, essayist, Nobel Prize laureate in Literature, & the first author to win the prestigious Booker Prize twice, but he also relocated to Australia in 2002 & has been associated with the University of Adelaide ever since. And I didn’t bother reading…
Back in 2021 I wrote about the jealousy I felt on discovering that English novelist Jenny Diski (1947-2016) was, as a teenager, living in an informal foster care arrangement with one of my all-time favourite writers, Doris Lessing. Now I’m feeling envious that I hadn’t been given the opportunity to board at somewhere like the Milton Hershey School in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Although, tbh, any…
More than 40 years ago when I was working for IBM, a group of us (not allowed) complained about 2 of the (all blokes) management staff. Although we got 'told off' for our collective behaviour (not allowed) & individually ‘counselled’, none of us lost our jobs & the managers were moved into positions with less responsibility. I was thinking about this small incident recently while reading Detention…
Image from here When David Malouf died in April this year, I felt compelled to pay a tribute to him by re-reading the novels of his I have on my shelves. Only 2 as it happens, both of which I’ve been carting from house to house since the 1980s. David Malouf was one of Australia’s most celebrated writers. A versatile man, he wrote poetry, novels, short stories, essays & even libretti for 3 operas,…
Netanyahu has become the Frankenstein of Israeli politics, and the settlers and Hamas are the monsters he has created. They are both now out of anyone’s control. They have outgrown their creator (John Lyons, Author’s Note, 2024 edition). I’ve been immersed in reading about Israel & their occupation of Palestine this week. First, I read Balcony Over Jerusalem (2017) by award-winning Australian…
According to Pauline Hanson, we are “ predominately a Judeo-Christian society ”. But what does that mean? According to Google, it means a society built on the shared heritage of the Jewish & Christian religious traditions & includes values such as: “The Sanctity of Life: The belief that human life holds intrinsic value Universal Morality: Adherence to fundamental codes of conduct, such as the Ten…
If I didn’t already know about the ‘grooming gangs scandal’ in the UK, I soon would have courtesy of One Nation supporters. I gather they’ve been pointing out the story to me because they want to insist, they want me to believe, that when it comes to the rape of children, Muslim Pakistani men are the problem. In summary : The UK grooming gangs scandal refers to the apparent widespread abuse of…
Dear Pauline (Hanson), Have you seen Margo Kingston’s article in Crikey on Tuesday. About how Gina “ owns you ”? I feel a bit sad for you. There you are having a 'moment' while also being publicly undermined by Gina. Perhaps that explains why you always seem so angry, so defensive. Or perhaps you’re feeling foolish about the monoculture nonsense; that was some “ own goal ” as Clare Armstrong says…
Because Pauline Hanson is having a moment, we’re all being reminded - as if we needed to be – that she once—a long time ago—ran a fish ‘n chip shop. 27 years later & better known for her racism & xenophobia than for her compassion & caring, she launched a fish ‘n chip mobile van in Rothwell, Queensland during the state election. The announcement, posted 26 April 2024, reads She feeds the…
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