Updates
Three easy steps to understanding Chinese literature
‘There is value in using contemporary literature, and novels in particular, as tools to help us understand historical context. China is changing so rapidly that fiction with characters from different generations efficiently communicates the pace of change, the effects of history and the prospects for the future. ‘ Alice Grundy on reading contemporary Chinese literature.
Fudging Homer
It seems to me that Simone Weil’s essay says more about her desire to identify with the powerless, and about her wish to reconcile her love of the Greeks and of the Gospel, than about the Iliad. This is not to say that it is not worth careful consideration, but that one should read it warily, and perhaps after a recent reading of the Iliad.
The Cult of the Middlebrow
Prize lists, which Ivor Indyk discusses in his brilliant and piercing piece ‘The Cult of the Middlebrow’ are symptoms of what constitutes literary value. There are, of course, other symptoms that indicate the system as a whole and at present we still lack an adequate understanding of middlebrow taste from a sociological and aesthetic perspective.
‘Foul-Mouthed Tirade’: Mark Latham at the Melbourne Writers Festival
On the weekend Mark Latham broke the unspoken rule of writers festivals: play nice. His deviation from the conventions of ‘respectful conversation’ provoked furious reactions. Has the intemperate jeremiad had its day?
21 August 2015: Places beyond Earth
‘Perhaps the faraway can only really be reached through writing, and the faraway is just that which can be imagined, idealised, and never explained’ – Chinese novelist Sheng Keyi on the distances she negotiates through her writing. As the China-Australia Literary Forum approaches, the Sydney Review of Books considers the ways in which literature can bridge cultural and geographical distances.
Librarians’ Tea Party
Australian libraries are full of letters, diaries, drafts and handwritten recipes that can never be published thanks to our archaic copyright laws. While living authors struggle to protect their financial interest in their writing, unpublished works are stuck in the limbo of indefinite copyright – and it’s inhibiting the study of Australian literature and history.
7 August 2015: Critical Ecology
The interdependencies between criticism and a thriving literary culture are complex and multiple. The critical practice that flourishes at the Sydney Review of Books has been made possible in part thanks to generous funding from the Australia Council. The vitality of the magazine, however, ultimately relies not only on the stability of our own funding but also on a well-funded and diverse literary sector that exists as a part of a healthy arts ecology.
New Editor
As of this week, Sydney Review of Books has a new Editor. Our small but dedicated editorial team is pleased and excited to welcome Catriona Menzies-Pike, who is stepping into the top job while I move into the role of Contributing Editor. These are uncertain times for the arts in Australia, not least for those of us involved with books and writing, but at Sydney Review of Books we remain optimistic and forward looking.
Keep a good head and always carry a lightbulb
There was an interesting, if minor, piece of fallout from the clashing protests that occurred around the country last week when former Cold Chisel singer Jimmy Barnes told the Reclaim Australia demonstrators, who had been playing one of the band’s signature tunes ‘Khe Sanh’ at their rallies, that he did not want them using his music … The rebuff was a crowning humiliation for Reclaim Australia, whose rallies were such a disaster that one could almost feel sorry for them were it not for the poisonous garbage they espouse.