Books that Made Us: The Companion to the ABC TV Series

by Carl Reinecke, Claudia Karvan (Reading)

A cultural history of Australia told through our fiction.

Australia's novels lie at the heart of the country. Capturing everyday lives and exceptional dreams, they have held up a mirror to the nation, reflecting the good and the bad. In this companion book to the ABC TV series, Carl Reinecke looks at the history of Australian culture through the books we have read and the stories we have told.

Touching on colonial invasion, the bush myth, world wars, mass migration, the recognition of Indigenous sovereignty and the emergence of a modern, global, multicultural nation Carl examines how these pivotal events and persuasive ideas have shaped some of Australia's most influential novels, and how these books, in turn, made us.

In a panoramic account of Australian fiction stretching from Marcus Clarke to Melissa Lucashenko, Patrick White to Peter Carey, and Henry Handel Richardson to Michelle de Kretser, this is a history of key authors and compelling books that have kept us reading and made a difference for over 200 years.

Genres: Nonfiction, Australia, Literature, Audiobook, Books About Books

Audio CD

First published November 1, 2021

About the author

Carl Reinecke is an Australian literary theorist and television producer.

(For the German composer of the 19th century, see Carl Reinecke, with no spaces in his Goodreads name.)

Reviews

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've just finished this with 18 minutes to spare on my library ebook. I'm hovering between a 4 and a 5 star rating because, while I think there are some omissions in the book and while I don't necessarily fully agree with some of the thoughts put forward on recent history, it's a terrific introduction to Australian Literature and what's shaped it.
As Australians, we really do need a book of this type that covers the subject matter and this is a fabulous starting point.
I have to say it must have really hamstrung the author to produce a book like this about Australia from the distance of Cambridge during the pandemic. I notice there is next to no commentary on the pandemic and it's affect on AusLit, but perhaps it's too soon for the sort of reflection that will come about this period of time that we're living through.
It's a great book to end the year on, reflecting on the literature and the small literary industry that's contributed to significant Australian books. I may have to read it a second time to really reflect on my thoughts. A book like this, while it contained few surprises for me (just perhaps giving me a bit more depth to what I already know from other reading and the ABC TV program) will probably shift some of those books I've been wanting to read for sometime further up to the top of the TBR pile.

Note: I've created a list of the books mentioned in the ABC TV program and started adding some more that were mentioned in this book. Happy for others to contribute more Aus Lit that is included in this book. This is a link to the list:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book very difficult to get into, but totally lost faith in it when the author claimed the Adelaide Festival of Arts was ' The first of its kind in Australia..launched in March of 1960'. The Perth Arts Festival started in 1953 and was the first in Australia. It is actually the longest running Festival in the southern hemisphere. This may seem a minor gripe, but how many other 'facts' haven't been checked??

[Steve Maxwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!!!!!

What a ride. A look at a few of the great Australian books written over many years. This book is special in that it looks at what was happening in Australia, politically, economically, and socially , and then look at the literature that came at those times.

So many truly wonderful books, ranging in time from Henry Lawson, through to Kate Grenville, Christos Tsiolkas, and some I have only just found out about, such as Andrew McGahan and Michelle de Kretser.

I've added about 35 more books to my TBR. 😊😊

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Christmas gift, this is the perfect read for anyone who enjoyed the tv show with Claudia Karvan, but wants a slightly deeper dive into the list she skidded through at a cracking pace.

There's lots here that I've read, and plenty that I haven't, and a few that sounded too dry and dusty for me to want to try - but that might be the presentation. While it's mostly engagingly written, there were a few entries that read like the English Lit lecturer we all had who sometimes managed to suck the joy out of things just a bit. 🤣

[Benjamin Stahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a significant portion of this book, I thought it was surprisingly dull. I couldn't help but feel that ironic as it sounds, this book about the so-called most influential or significant Australian books in the history of the nation would have been better told as a TV show rather than a book. And in fact, this is just what they did. This book is the accompanying text for those who are so inclined.

So, at best, the writing aspect of the book is hit and miss. I think someone could have easily made a better job of it than Reinecke, who too often actually seems a little bored with the subject he is covering. However, by the end, I just decided that I would give four stars instead of a long-intended three because there were some aspects of certain authors' lives that were more interesting - or, more to the point, were told in a way that allowed their interestingness to flourish.

Also, essentially, Reinecke has successfully made me want to actually seek out and read most of the books explored. Some of them I have already ... read (fuck, I hate those words together). And I would agree that Marcus Clark's For the Term of His Natural Life is a classic well-deserving of its praise. Henry Lawson, also - though he only wrote poetry and short fiction - is a national gem. Then there were a number of others I did already know about but have not read. And more than I few I'd never even heard of - or realised they were originally novels before they were adapted into film (They're a Weird Mob, for instance).

And while I'm on the subject of Australian fiction, I suppose I might as well throw a quick mention to a couple of my particular favourites which were not mentioned. Please note that I do not necessarily think these should be considered as iconic or influential enough to have been included in this book. Just that I personally really love them and would highly recommend anyone reading - perhaps even more so, non-Australians, for a truly deep and immersive taste of this country's literature.

1. The Well (1986) by Elizabeth Jolley. "An intimately haunting character study of a young woman coming of age, and her aging stepmother, isolated together in the bush. One of the most melancholic and indefinably creepy stories I have read".

2. Picnic at Hanging Rock (1967) by Joan Lindsay. "Much like above, this book is uniquely haunting and really captures that eerie spirit of the Australian outback, and the questionable place "whitefellas" have in its ancient garden. Also, it's a decent period drama".

As a final note, I do feel a little scum not mentioning any novels written by the original "Australians", those by the vast Indigenous imagination past and present. The truth is I just haven't really been exposed to much of that yet. I read Claire G. Coleman's Terra Nullius a few years ago, which had a very clever concept but was nothing outstanding. Otherwise, I intend to do much better if seeking out Indigenous voices henceforth, not just in non-fiction (where I have done better and where my own tastes truly lie) but also in fictional literature.

Appropriately enough, there were a few in this book, which would be as good a place to start as any.

[Sammy thebookninja_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book about books! What’s not to love? After watching the TV series hosted by Claudia Karvan, I was eager to read this book. And while I loved it, the one thing I say is that it’s best suited to people who have a true passion for reading, or who enjoy history/non-fiction, as it takes us on a much more in-depth view of Australian history than the TV series did. I found it fascinating to learn more about my country’s own history, and how much this has influenced our authors and the stories they told. I’m forever hearing the names great Australian authors and their renowned novels with little understanding to who they are or what they’re about. This book talks to some of the most influential authors of our time, touching on their personal lives, the political and social landscape at the time, the stories they produced, and how they were received at the time. It covers Henry Lawson, Miles Franklin, Peter Carey and Patrick White, just to name a few. I feel more enriched for having read it. The only downside – now I have a heap of books to add to my ever growing reading list.

[Win · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating look at a microcosm of Australian literature past, present & where it’s headed in the future. The Tv series works perfectly in tandem with this book.

[Sammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A useful volume that perhaps doesn't achieve its full potential. This was a tie-in to the recent ABC documentary miniseries and provides an overview of some Australian literature since the late 19th century, with a focus on writers and works that are deemed to have spoken for the 'Australian experience', either arguing for change or holding up tradition. Carl Reinecke was one of the TV producers but also has a strong university degree lineup, so was clearly an apt choice to write this volume. There's a lot of useful content in here, and I think it provides many starting points for people who may be interested in learning more about Australian literature. We should have many more synoptic overviews of this subject, and I'll never complain about getting another! (The book perhaps has limited use for those of us who are well-versed in the area, as explained by the below.)

There are a couple of things to note. First, the book has a strongly progressive tilt, which is not a flaw but obviously won't appeal to all readers. If its primary function is to encourage people to read the great authors of Australia's history, it may struggle to do so by often casually dismissing them for their contemporary views on race, gender, politics, etc, or by making grand statements about works, claiming that they come undone because of their inability to accurately challenge colonialism, empire, or what have you. Patrick White is given a decent section, but on a page where modern authors are queried about him, two of the three focus on his now-dated representations of Aboriginal women. A fair criticism but surely not a dominant theme of his canon, indeed only really prominent in one of his novels, and not at all important in light of the White texts actually discussed in this volume! It's important to acknowledge these things, of course - I'm not asking for a hagiography - but (declaring my bias as someone who runs a Patrick White website) the nature of this short volume means that Reinecke can't always be fair when he should be. Why not briefly mention White's growing belief in Indigenous sovereignty and the fact that he left significant bequests to Indigenous arts organisations, or that for his time he was almost radically progressive in his portrayals, as with the incomparable artistic vision in the mind of a heavily disadvantaged and abused Aboriginal character in his glorious Riders in the Chariot? It seems a little half-hearted to make this the focus, as with the almost bemused tone that John O'Grady's They're a Weird Mob sold so many copies when it was - by our 21st century standards - 'assimilationist', rather than acknowledging that this was a fairly centrist view at the time. (Reinecke points out that O'Grady uses stereotypes in his book, such as having most of the Australian men be 'white'; I'm not sure how many non-white Australian men living in urban communities he expects us to have found in 1957!) Female novelists tend to get off more lightly, because one of the book's narratives is that women are part of the subaltern and they often saw the country realistically while white men were off being naïve and self-absorbed. Masculinity and conservatism seem inherently linked at some points, as with Richard Flanagan, whereas I think the only writers not to receive any criticism are the three women of colour! Very 2021.

This sounds like a criticism but I don't mean it as such. The book has a truly stunning amount of endnotes for a 'general non-fiction' work, to the point where the numbers sometimes seem to clutter up the page. Sometimes these are not even referring to quotes or stats, but merely easily verifiable facts, such as that Australia's first parliament was all white or that there are allusions to homosexuality in Such is Life. I was confused by this until I peeked ahead at Reinecke's acknowledgements. He wrote this mostly "at his kitchen table" in the UK during lockdown, and implicitly acknowledges that the book was never intended to be "Carl Reinecke's view of Australian literary history" but rather a general synthesis of current thought on notable Australian works, as seen through the most readily available articles, essays, and introductions that one can find online or via a decent library.

With this explained, much of the book makes sense. The endnotes are there in such quantities to acknowledge that the author is really the compiler. He hasn't necessarily read all of the works within (I would say certainly not Xavier Herbert or Frank Hardy) and his brief hasn't required him to. Which is valid, but this speaks to the book's limitations. Without the space required to give a true overview of Australian lit, and without the freedom to draw conclusions from his research, Reinecke sometimes gives us half-truths or overt simplifications. It's easy to say that Patrick White and his partner Manoly Lascaris returned to Australia at a time when being gay was illegal and considered a mental illness; it would take more time to admit that White and Lascaris lived fairly openly as a couple, that queer people were fairly well-known within the artistic and inner urban communities, and that the story of LGBT emancipation in the 20th century was a gradual one in many areas rather than a sudden shock. Please don't mistake me: the homophobia was very real, culturally entrenched, and tragically sometimes fatal. But it creates a skewed perception to merely leave it at that. How did White's public performance as a curmudgeon, or his choice to live as the only artistic in ordinary suburban areas rather than on of many in artistic hubs, inform the way that he was seemingly accepted by communities that may otherwise have been hostile to homosexuals? Why did media and politiciansof all flavours choose to euphemise his relationship with Lascaris for decades rather than ever outing him? How did queer people thrive in urban centres and artistic communities, big and small, and are we to believe that the flowering of gay and lesbian artists and advocacy in the 1970s came from nowhere? There must be more to the story, as with many other little moments. In an overview there's no time for those yet there's time to leave a lingering whiff of unpleasantness about it all.

Yet the chapter titles ("How to Be An Australian", "Brighter Futures") make clear that the book and its (seemingly quite young) author subscribe to (or reflect) the modern, admittedly popular, theory that says: Australia progressed from idyllic (pre-1788) to horrifically naïve (1788-1888), from just plain terrible (1888-1999) to a brighter time (since then) that could still be improved if we could finally ditch pathetic old-fashioned ideas like "mateship". If you're going to read anything from those periods before our own, it seems to say, you should do so while wearing the appropriate body armour. It is right, of course, to examine the past with a steely eye; T.S. Eliot wrote about how every piece of art and every artist inevitably changes in meaning once they stop being the present and become a piece of the past. Yet the nature of the volume means that the author often gets to say "unfortunately critics in the years since have gradually uncovered layers of X-ism" (because that's in the pieces currently being written about the work) but rarely gets to interrogate those claims or tell us whether they're a big or a small part of the modern reading experience. It's useful to mention that "some" critics have written about whether Kate Grenville's impactful and wide-reaching exploration of the impact of white history on Aboriginal people rendered the latter one-dimensional, sure. But if you can't follow that up with even one paragraph of discussion it rather renders the point moot, I would think?

The depth of Reinecke's research should not be gainsaid, mind you, nor should his talent at writing and clear communication. I'm not criticising him for some of the views herein because - while I'm sure he shares many of them - he is merely reflecting the current trends of academics and arts writers, rightly or wrongly. This is an easy and engaging read, and I'm sure many people with a developing interest in Australian literature will find much to draw on here, both in the text and the exhaustive endnotes. I may never forgive him for excluding Randolph Stow (although his justification makes sense) but I hope this leads people on to uncover the wider world of our country's incredible 235-year literary history - and to remain excited for what awaits us in its future!

[Addie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoughts:
• Another audiobook finished, this time thanks to bedrotting and procrastination.
• I haven't watched the ABC series this book is based on, but it sounds like it'd be right up my alley.
• This book highlights some key Australian works of fiction, exploring their backstories and cultural legacy. It's a bit of a whirlwind overview but it's pretty interesting.
• I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I haven't read much Aussie fiction. This has encouraged me to pull a few unread books from the shelf and bump them up my list. The intention is definitely there, but there's no telling when I'll actually get around to reading them all.

[Toni Kely-Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

With a goal to read more Australian classics and authors this year, this book was published at the perfect time. It recaps the plot of books that "made us" (although not all, as the author acknowledges e.g. Picnic at Hanging Rock was a notable absence for me) but what I did enjoy, was the background stories of the authors and the historical, social and political context of the time in which the books were written.

It was fascinating to read (and I didn't even know!) that Australia had an agreement with Britain from the 19th century which essentially gave British publishers and literature dominance in Australia over homegrown authors and publishers. To this day Australian authors and publishing authors are "protected" with any books from overseas (mostly the USA and UK) having a "tax" or "tariff" placed on them as they are much cheaper to produce than our local counterparts. This has been shaken up in recent years with global corporations like Amazon able to provide books at much cheaper prices. I, myself, still like to support independently owned bookshops so am willing to pay $30 for a paperback which I guess others aren't. We were also a very conservative country post WW2 and there was censorship laws that sounded like we were like those school boards in America that still ban books today!

I also enjoyed the insight into the progression of the "great Australian novel" where books published in the 19th century focused very much on Australia's connection with Britain and its colonial past, to the mid-20th century where it focused on the "myth of Australia" with the bush, mateship, etc. to contemporary times where Indigenous authors and stories have been given a voice and share their experiences of colonisation and its impact.

Recommended for those who want to find out a little more about Australian publishing history and literature.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book about books for me but I'm not sure if reading this is really worth it after watching the show. But it does provide some excellent insights into history and authors that you didn't quite get on the three part series. And that was the stuff that was really interesting, the context of social expectations of the time and why these particular books were the ones that caused a stir.

The show taught me that Australia had very strict censorship laws that affected a lot of books and what was available (as well as the published agreement or whatever it was that essentially gave British publishers a dominate position) but this book goes into it quite a bit more. As well as how literature pushed a reckoning with Australia's colonial past (present/future etc), the way that writers and artists often left this country because, despite of the endless sky, it felt narrow and claustrophobic. That often our most recognisable books are the most challenging to read.

My to be read list was expanded by this, Cloudstreet now sits in my physical tbr pile. And I'm always wanted to read something by Kim Scott, so he is on my list of authors to find a book by. And if you're into books about books and Australian literature and it's place within history and how it affected social mood. This is truely a book to have a look at.

Or you could just watch the show. Because I did really get something out of Claudia Karven interviewing authors.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a few aspects of this book that I found quite interesting: obviously the novels discussed in the book were of interest, the history of publishing in Australia, and the social/political context within which the novels were written and first read. One aspect of the book that bothered me was that the entire plot of the novels discussed is summarised in the book, including the ending - it wasn’t necessary and nobody likes spoilers. Another thing that bothered me was that towards the end in particular, winning the Miles Franklin Award seemed to be the primary criteria for a novel’s inclusion - we get it: the Miles Franklin Award is prestigious… but not the only place to find the kind of books that “made us”. My only other criticism is that there were some notable omissions. I know not every book can be included, but it seemed odd to be missing certain books. Over all I found this an interesting book to read and would recommend it as an overview of Australian literary history. But be prepared to add a bunch of old books to your TBR and to remove some of the more modern ones you were planning on reading because you now know what happens at the end!

[Karen Hollenbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

I borrowed this book from my local library after watching the 3 part series on ABC. My hope was to compile a list of reads for 2022 and I got this, and much more. This companion to the ABC series of the same name offers a light walk through Australia’s political and literary history and is a most enjoyable read. If you’re holidaying on the Victorian Mornington peninsula right now, the independent bookstore, Antipodes, in Sorrento, has dedicated a whole section to many of the books listed in this book. Enjoy!

[Jennifer Severn · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting to see a lot of Australian books I've read, and a lot I probably should read, discussed against the social, political and economic backdrops of their times, and a potted history of the Australian publishing industry too. Reinecke provides an overly detailed synopsis of the plot of each book, which I felt could often have been condensed.

[Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy read and informative. Great to follow how the evolution of Australian literature paralleled was juxtaposed with the long enduring ‘Aussie’ myth (so beloved of particularly conservative politicians). It has given me a long lots of ‘should reads’.

[Bazz Sherwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating examination of selected major contributions to Australian literature. It places those books in their social, cultural and political context, and considers their place in shaping that context. I didn't see the companion television series but I loved this book.

[Cher · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was good but I hated how they would tell the whole synopsis of a book - I was like well don’t need to read that now. It also seemed to focus on just “literature” no genre books or authors mentioned.

[Rochelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look into the books published in Australia that helped shaped the country. Many I had not heard about. A fan for readers of Australian books, and those interested in Australian history.

[Leone · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book, particularly after seeing the TV series.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives a good overview of the Australian literary scene as well as the politics that surrounded it. From small publishers to bigger than life writers, so much is covered.

[Xander Fuller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, just a solid cross-section of chosen books to define Australian literature. As an American, I knew nothing about Australian literature, but this gave me a decent insight.

[Frances Nielsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this interesting walk-through of Australian books, with a description of the social and political climate at the time of their release.
It's vastly increased my TBR pile!

[MBC · Rating 2 out of 5]

I first started this the summer before I took The Australian Imaginary for second year English. I didn’t finish simply because there was too much I didn’t know.

I now know enough about Australian literature (and the lack of cohesive public sentiment and academic legitimacy) to see that this book is a disappointment. The authors and books chosen are mostly well known. There can be no denying their relevance. Yet, the lack of acknowledgment of Indigenous authors, their work and their personal stories is garish. I was well into the 1980s before there was a proper mention of an Aboriginal writer. That’s unforgivable.

Generally speaking, the commentary was not critical enough for me and I found the contributions of the author timid.

A shame; it could have been brilliant. Instead it’s myopic.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love books and found quite a few in here that sparked my curiosity and have made it to my (ever growing) To Be Read pile. As I am English living in Australia, I think the political element to the book just passed me by and I wanted it to be more about Aussie authors than who was the prime minister at the time.