Comprehensive
Parramatta: A Dictionary of Place and Memory - C
There will not be a comprehensive dictionary, only a personal one.
In the words of Ken Liu in his introduction to Broken Stars, an attempt to be comprehensive is doomed to fail.
Each entry in this dictionary has personal resonance for me. Literature features heavily because that is the constant thread in my life, and then there will be the places that are important to my memories in and around Parramatta.
Recently I surveyed an audience at a literary event held in the city and I wondered: when will the structure (educational, government, artistic, historical) reflect the diversity in this country?
It was also a question I had in mind as I considered the books on a school library’s shelves.
I suppose this is a question I also direct towards myself. My interest in literature from Latin America has been more intense in the past five years compared to the years immediately before. My interest in what’s written locally began after I published The House of Youssef. The greatest benefit to being invited to festivals has been broadening my awareness of local writers and their books. It’s only in the past two years I can say I’m comfortable with my awareness of Australian literature.
There is awareness, but that awareness is not comprehensive. It’s a project that is ongoing and has no end.