Michael Burge's Blog, page 9
September 20, 2017
The hate that dare not speak its name
AUSTRALIA is fighting a very old battle. It’s been Trojan-Horsed into every household in the form of the Turnbull Government’s postal survey on federal marriage law. Like all wars, the propaganda is rife. “It would make for a better, fairer and more entertaining match if #TeamNo owned the label ‘homophobes’.” We’re being asked to vote …
September 8, 2017
Vote yes in the Marriage Equality survey, just look out for Uncle Mal
A PUBLIC vote on marriage equality is delivering what some Australians have craved for years: an excuse to publicly trash LGBTIQ dignity. The usual pundits are hailing the Coalition’s survey as a victorious tipping point for the fortunes of the Turnbull Government, but at best it’s a hand-holding exercise for the prime minister. “A sad, … Continue reading Vote yes in the Marriage Equality survey, just look out for Uncle Mal →
July 21, 2017
Dodging reality with E.M. Forster
A writer’s review of E.M. Forster’s The Life to Come. IN THESE glimpses through the window into Edwardian and post-war restrictions on homosexuality, much of them still chillingly relevant to our times, E.M. Forster recreates his own inner life – and that of gay men everywhere. Where his living, breathing gay protagonists meet allegorical endings … Continue reading Dodging reality with E.M. Forster →
July 14, 2017
All the Worst Jobs
A short story by Michael Burge. JESSIE WANTED TO paint, but she was going to start another load of laundry first. The day was sunny enough for line drying, and as she soaked in the warm light that belted through the kitchen window, the phone rang. “Now you’re to tell me everything about yourself. We’ve … Continue reading All the Worst Jobs →
May 4, 2017
Janelle McCulloch’s case of Picnic fever
A Writer’s review of Beyond the Rock. FIFTY years since the publication of Joan Lindsay’s seminal Australian novel Picnic at Hanging Rock, and with a much-anticipated television series being shot for Foxtel, ‘Picnic’ fever is in the wind again. Cue a fresh analysis of Lindsay’s engaging story, in the commanding hardback form of Janelle McCulloch’s Beyond … Continue reading Janelle McCulloch’s case of Picnic fever →
April 19, 2017
No country for older women
“The strategy behind the casting of younger women will take some explaining.” IN February, Foxtel and Fremantle Media Australia announced the casting of an eagerly anticipated television adaptation of Picnic at Hanging Rock, Joan Lindsay’s 1967 Australian novel about a group of schoolgirls and their governess who go missing at a local rock formation on Valentine’s Day, 1900. This fictional story … Continue reading No country for older women →
April 13, 2017
Lionel Shriver weighs her options
A Writer’s review of Lionel Shriver’s Big Brother. FRESH from witnessing the fuss Lionel Shriver inspired at the 2016 Brisbane Writers Festival, defending the right to use her imagination without being labelled a cultural appropriator, I took to this book with a half-baked plan to test out both sides of the argument. “Hopeful, insane, self-fulfilling learning … Continue reading Lionel Shriver weighs her options →
March 17, 2017
Marriage Equality in 2019, just you wait and see
MARRIAGE Equality will be legislated in Australia no sooner than 2019. I know many will fly into a rage about that assertion, but let’s get real for a few moments: the current Coalition will never independently instigate a change to the Marriage Act allowing equal access to same-sex couples. Even this week, Malcolm Turnbull told us it’s … Continue reading Marriage Equality in 2019, just you wait and see →
February 23, 2017
A place for truth in Titanic’s lifeboat
A Writer’s review of David Dyer’s The Midnight Watch. “This novel grows organically into the rarest of literary adventures: a journey into the very heart of writing and all its private motivations.” IN the scratchy, indefinite pulses of Marconi transmissions – the standard wireless communication in the era of the great transatlantic ocean liners – first-time … Continue reading A place for truth in Titanic’s lifeboat →
February 7, 2017
Branching out into new trees
I DON’T know about other artists, but I find foliage extremely challenging to paint. In art classes at school, our teacher explained the effect of aerial perspective, which requires the fine detail of a canopy of leaves to be rendered as a solid wash, not a mass of lines capturing individual leaves. Although in reality, capturing foliage is a … Continue reading Branching out into new trees →
