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“Some readings for the book were nearly empty, a “totally humiliating experience,” Franzen says, but this one “was worse than that.” He was sharing a stage with the Australian-born novelist Peter Carey, who had won the Booker Prize for Oscar and Lucinda. Franzen arrived in a college friend’s vintage Volvo in six-degree weather, with Wallace hitching a ride. “Carey arrived in a limousine from the Ritz.”
—

http://nymag.com/print/?/arts/books/features/jeffrey-eugenides-2011-10/

(Via somethingchanged.com.au)

I’m copying my lovely friends by posting what I’m currently reading. Starting now with Iris Murdoch’s The Bell. It’s my first Iris Murdoch book. Why is this so? I am engrossed.

I’m copying my lovely friends by posting what I’m currently reading. Starting now with Iris Murdoch’s The Bell. It’s my first Iris Murdoch book. Why is this so? I am engrossed.

Oh My Darlin': Things I Have Learned In A Decade Of Freelance Writing.

clembastow:

While I’ll always be freelance to a certain extent, at the end of this year I’ll be focusing on a number of major projects that will turn the volume down on the mad scramble for work.

So, I thought I’d take stock (because it’s more fun than washing my hair or continuing to clean the house)….

 I have so much to learn from my friend Clem.

(Source: clambistro)

61 Notes

On the delight of opera singers

Last night I saw Opera Australia’s Macbeth and it was completely wonderful and wicked and rousing. My friend and I both agreed that we rather fancied the rotund Italian looking cast member which led us to thoughtfully ponder the lack of opera singers with truly mesmorising bulk. Incidentally, is there anything more cheering than those X-factor type shows that find butchers who burst into opera singing when making sausages unaware of what a gift they have? I think not.

“If I could have any talent I would choose to be able sing like an opera singer,” I said.

“I would choose invisibility,” he said.

Which I thought was a bit unfair.

Though I suppose if I got my way it would be hard to be both an opera singer and invisible.  

Class is on for bogans and snobs (a column that I wrote for the SMH today).

1 Notes

“You’re terrible Muriel.” I’m quite certain that my family is not the only Australian family to appropriate this line from PJ Hogan’s 1994 film, Muriel’s Wedding when one of us did something remotely scandalous. It’s up there with “Tell him he’s dreamin” (The Castle) in the Highly Quotable Lines from Australian Films stakes”
— I got to write about one of my very favourite Australian films for the AFI blog. 

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“I owe a vast debt to Simon Hoggart of The Guardian (son of the author of The Uses of Literacy), who about 35 years ago informed me that an article of mine was well argued but dull, and advised me briskly to write “more like the way that you talk.” At the time, I was near speechless at the charge of being boring and never thanked him properly, but in time I appreciated that my fear of self-indulgence and the personal pronoun was its own form of indulgence.”
—

Christopher Hitchens on a writer’s voice.

I wouldn’t dare compare myself to Christopher Hitchens, but this is the feedback that I too have received in my quest to find a “voice” that fits. I have a crushing fear of boring everyone to death with personal stories from my not particularly extraordinary life. And also, I suppose, of putting myself out there in a way that can’t be taken back. I’m working at it.

Meanwhile all the nurses at mum’s hospital used to tell her when she would proudly bring in one of my articles that I write the way she talks. So I am probably still looking for my own voice. 

1 Notes

“The council once asked us for an assessment of outcomes, not output,” says Ian Stringer. “Output was how many books we’d stamped out, and outcome was something that had actually resulted from someone borrowing a book. So say someone took out a book on mending cars and then drove the car back, that’s an outcome; or made a batch of scones from a recipe book they had borrowed. It lasted until one of the librarians told the council they’d had someone in borrowing a book on suicide, but that they’d never brought it back. The council stopped asking after that.”
—

This is a lovely piece on libraries from the Observer.

Confession: along with just about everyone, I once pinched a copy of Judy Blume’s Forever from my local library. I still feel guilty about it, but it did educate me about life for which I am very grateful.

1 Notes

inthetrees: somethingchanged: I love Australia, my home. I celebrate Australia Day because, while imperfect, we’re the best country in the world.  I remember being at centre court at the Australian Open Tennis once, on Australia Day, while Lleyton Hewitt played. Before the match the crowd sang, impromptu, the national anthem - and I cried when I stood up, like some kind of American. So you can imagine my feelings about the floods that have devastated three-quarters of Queensland and now other states too. Even though I’m in London, I’ll be marking Australia Day next week by inviting round my friends, their friends, and fleecing them for all they’re worth. Any money we can chip in, we’ll donate to the official flood appeals. If you’re in Australia or just love it, consider doing the same on January 26th. To find out more (like where to donate the money you collect) go to BBQforFLOODS.com.au | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr.Oh this? It’s just a mixtape I made to get your #BBQforFLOODS started. Click here to download a .zip of the MP3s. 1. I Still Call Australia Home | Australian Boys’ and Girls’ Choirs.2. Bapa |    Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu.3. Island Home    | Christine Anu.4. Reckless | Australian Crawl.5. These Days |    Powderfinger.6. Wide Open Road    | The Triffids.7. Treaty    | Yothu Yindi.8. G’Day G’Day    | Slim Dusty.9. Beautiful Feeling    | Paul Kelly.10. Down Under  | Men At Work.11. Never Tear Us Apart |    INXS.12. You’re The Voice     | John Farnham.13. Friday On My Mind |    Easybeats.14. Holy Grail | Hunters and Collectors.15. Back in Black |    AC/DC.16. Working Class Man |    Jimmy Barnes.17. Khe Sahn    | Cold Chisel.18. Pub With No Beer    | Slim Dusty. You’ll love them all, so please make sure you click on the artists’ names to visit their store and buy more of their work. What a playlist! Makes me want to crack open a tinny, throw some snags on the barbie, forget to put on sunscreen, then regret it that night. Then probably do it again the next day. This playlist is the perfect Australia day soundtrack! Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu’s voice makes me weep. 

inthetrees:

somethingchanged:

I love Australia, my home. I celebrate Australia Day because, while imperfect, we’re the best country in the world.  I remember being at centre court at the Australian Open Tennis once, on Australia Day, while Lleyton Hewitt played. Before the match the crowd sang, impromptu, the national anthem - and I cried when I stood up, like some kind of American. So you can imagine my feelings about the floods that have devastated three-quarters of Queensland and now other states too.

Even though I’m in London, I’ll be marking Australia Day next week by inviting round my friends, their friends, and fleecing them for all they’re worth. Any money we can chip in, we’ll donate to the official flood appeals. If you’re in Australia or just love it, consider doing the same on January 26th.

To find out more (like where to donate the money you collect) go to BBQforFLOODS.com.au | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr.

Oh this? It’s just a mixtape I made to get your #BBQforFLOODS started. Click here to download a .zip of the MP3s.

1. I Still Call Australia Home | Australian Boys’ and Girls’ Choirs.
2. Bapa |    Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu.
3. Island Home    | Christine Anu.
4. Reckless | Australian Crawl.
5. These Days |    Powderfinger.
6. Wide Open Road    | The Triffids.
7. Treaty    | Yothu Yindi.
8. G’Day G’Day    | Slim Dusty.
9. Beautiful Feeling    | Paul Kelly.
10. Down Under  | Men At Work.
11. Never Tear Us Apart |    INXS.
12. You’re The Voice     | John Farnham.
13. Friday On My Mind |    Easybeats.
14. Holy Grail | Hunters and Collectors.
15. Back in Black |    AC/DC.
16. Working Class Man |    Jimmy Barnes.
17. Khe Sahn    | Cold Chisel.
18. Pub With No Beer    | Slim Dusty.

You’ll love them all, so please make sure you click on the artists’ names to visit their store and buy more of their work.

What a playlist! Makes me want to crack open a tinny, throw some snags on the barbie, forget to put on sunscreen, then regret it that night. Then probably do it again the next day.

This playlist is the perfect Australia day soundtrack! Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu’s voice makes me weep. 

16 Notes

clembastow: Dakota Fanning as Iris from Taxi Driver in W’s Movie Issue.

clembastow:

Dakota Fanning as Iris from Taxi Driver in W’s Movie Issue.

(Source: clambistro)

4 Notes