Judith Armstrong
Judith Armstrong taught Russian Studies at the University of Melbourne before leaving to write full-time. Her most recent novel was War and Peace and Sonya, published by Murdoch Books in Australia, and in the UK and US by the UnicornPress.
All essays by Judith Armstrong
The Power of Roses: Waiting for the Electricity by Christina Nichol
‘Platters of eggplant rolled in garlic and nuts sit on dishes of roasted wild turkey; on top of them are plates of goose pâté, sweet carrots, roasted red peppers, stuffed grape leaves, and nettles leaves boiled with ground walnuts. “In our country,” explains the narrator, “the buildings are always falling down [so] we pile plates on top of each other, like a last hope”. Further piles include potato and beef stew, chicken and tomato soup, mutton pilaf, beet salad layered with cream, fried forest mushrooms, crêpes flavoured with pepper, a trout slit open for the eggs, and knucklebone soup.’