Australian Literature: An Anthology of Writing from the Land Down Under

by Phyllis F. Edelson

Spanning more than a century, Australian Literature crystallizes a spirit, style, and ethos found nowhere else in world literature. These captivating selections in Australian Literature come from major voices, both famous and lesser known, and encompass short stories, memoirs, novels and aboriginal writings. Resonant or wryly witty, charming or disturbing, they explore themes deeply rooted in the Australian experience—shaping the land, the legacies of the convict past, the displacement of the aborigine, the search for a national identity, sex, love, and commitment.

Including these

“The Drover’s Wife” by Henry Lawson
“The Chosen Vessel” by Barbara Baynton
“The Loaded Dog” by Henry Lawson
From The Tree of Man by Patrick White
“The Night We Watched for Wallabies” by Steele Rudd
“A Gentleman’s Agreement” by Elizabeth Jolley
“Northern Belle” by Thea Astley
“The Cooboo” by Katharine Susannah Prichard
From Dr. Wooreddy’s Prescription for Enduring the Ending of the World by Colin Johnson
“Going Home” by Archie Weller
From The Story of Jack McPhee by Sally Morgan
“Breaking a Man’s Spirit” by Marcus Clarke
“Absalom Day’s Promotion” by Price Warung
“The First Days” by A. B. Facey
“In the Trenches” by A. B. Facey
From The Merry-Go-Round in the Sea by Randolph Stow
“The Kyogle Line” by David Malouf
“American Dreams” by Peter Carey
“Willy-wagtails by Moonlight” by Patrick White
“A Good Marriage” by Olga Masters
“Civilization and Its Discontents” by Helen Garner
“The Train Will Shortly Arrive” by Frank Moorhouse
“Two Hanged Women” by Henry Handel Richardson
“Brown Seaweed and Old Fish Nets” by Christina Stead
“The Woman at the Window” by Marian Eldridge
“A Woman with Black Hair” by Beverley Farmer
“Blood and Water” by Tim Winton

Genres: Australia

336 pages, Paperback

First published March 16, 1993

Reviews

[Reader in Tokyo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was published in 1993 and contained 26 short stories or excerpts from novels and a memoir by 24 writers. The publication dates ranged from 1870 to 1989, and about half the pieces were by contemporary writers. The works were grouped by the themes of the bush, the Aboriginal experience, the convict system, the search for a national identity, and relationships. There was an introduction to the country and its literature, with recommendations for further reading.

Compared to other anthologies of Australian literature read that've been published in Great Britain and Australia since the 1960s, this one stood out for including excerpts from well-known novels by Marcus Clarke, Randolph Stow and A. B. Facey. Other memorable stories included one by Beverley Farmer written from the point of view of a male criminal, one by Tim Winton on a difficult childbirth, and one by Marian Eldridge about the problems of a welfare mother. The selections were in general realist in style and not experimental.

Other anthologies include A Century of Australian Short Stories (1963), Best Australian Short Stories (1967), Classic Australian Short Stories (1974), The Penguin Book of Australian Short Stories (1976), The State of the Art (1983), Australian Short Stories (1983), Transgressions: Australian Writing Now (1986), The Faber Book of Contemporary Australian Short Stories (1988), The Penguin Best Australian Short Stories (1991), The Oxford Book of Australian Short Stories (1994), The Australian Short Story Collection: 1890s-1990s (1994 and earlier editions), Favorite Australian Short Stories (1995), Contemporary Classics 65-95: The Best Australian Short Fiction 1965-1995 (1996), The Penguin Century of Australian Stories (2000), and The Macquarie PEN Anthology of Australian Literature (publication expected in 2009).

[Olga · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good introduction to the customs, traditional stories and literature of Australia as its material (26 short stories and excerpts of novels) ranges in publication date from 1870 to 1989 so it gives you a good picture of how this literature and its themes evolved over about 100 years.
The book is divided thematically in three parts; the first one is about “The Idea of the Bush” and has, in my opinion, some of the best short stories in the book; the second one is called “Images of Australia” and is itself divided into three parts, “The Aboriginal Experience”; “The Convict” and “The Search for a National Identity; finally, the third part is about “Relationships”. Each chapter has an introductory essay about the issues explored that, even though short, is very concise and complete. Furthermore there is also included a small glossary of Australian terms, a map of Australia and small biographies about each one of the authors.

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