FEATURE: CELEBRATING GREAT AUSTRALIAN WRITING CELEBRATING GREAT AUSTRALIAN WRITING First Tuesday Book Club The ABC First Tuesday Book Club's Jennifer Byrne was a terrific supporter J e n n i f e r ' s R eading Australia of the National Year of Reading 2012 and, in the last program of the series, on recom mendations 2 0 0 4 December, she announced the "10 While the First Tuesday Book Club Aussie Books You Should Read Before You The Lost M em ory of Skin, by Russell Banks. was looking for the top 10, the Copyright Die." A dark, magnificent study of Agency was thinking even bigger. The More than 20 000 people had voted America's underbelly, focusing on a Copyright Agency asked the Australian for the list and 500 000 viewers tuned 22-year old known only as "the Kid" who Society of Author's Council to come up in to watch the program and discover has committed a minor but unforgivable with a list of 200 classic Australian titles the final all-Australian reading list. crime and becomes part of the they thought students should encounter Jennifer told us, ‘[Booksellers] rang me community of the lost, living in a limbo- in school and university, as a special after the show saying they had had a world beneath a Florida causeway. ‘Reading Australia' initiative. huge response, and a number of books The Age of Miracles, by Karen Thompson The 200 titles include novels, short we'd mentioned had hit their top 10 Walker stories, drama, poetry, children's books, list overnight. So for all those who can't Set in California, the book starts with non-fiction, memoirs, and essays, and buy those books, or (like me) love their a simple government announcement Ned Kelly's Jerilderie Letter is on the local library, hope it results in lots of new on the radio: the earth is slowing, losing list. Several writers have two entries, lenders!' time each time it rotates. We learn what including Anita Heiss, Robert Drewe, There were a couple of classics happens next through the eyes of an 11- Helen Garner, Joan London, David alongside top contemporary fiction. It's year old schoolgirl. Malouf, Frank Moorhouse, Jill Jones, Ruth a great selection that you can promote Park, Drusilla Modjeska, and Katharine to your library users. The Heart Broke In, by James Meek Susannah Prichard. A sprawling, ambitious novel about a The plan is to take the 200 works and 1. Cloudstreet - Tim Winton brother and sister, Bec and Ritchie, both match them with materials from the 2. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak chasing their own very different version National Library's Trove archive, to help 3. A Fortunate Life - A B Facey of the good life. But at what - and to with context and provide teachers with 4. The Harp in the South - Ruth Park whose - cost? a rich set of resources - authors' letters, 5. The Power of One - Bryce Courtenay The Harp in the South, by Ruth Park journals, contemporary newspaper 6. Jasper Jones - Craig Silvey An old classic, but new to me - a reports, photographs, and so on. 7. The Magic Pudding - Norman Why not take the test and find out Lindsay fantastic, vividly written account of the eccentric Darcy family living in the slums how many of the items you have read? 8 . The Slap - Christos Tsiolkas of Surry Hills. Score two points if you have read it and 9. The Secret River - Kate Grenville one point if you've read another work 10. Picnic at Hanging Rock - Joan My Policeman, by Bethan Roberts by the same writer. Find the full list here: Lindsay Set during the 50s, when homosexuals http://www.copyright.com.au/assets/ were both socially condemned and documents/top-200-australian-literary- And just for fun, Jennifer put together liableto prosecution and imprisonment, titles. her own choice of five books. Tom is the policeman who struggles between his own sexual desires and the need to conform - with deeply moving consequences. 18 | INCITE Volume 34 Issue 1/2 FEATURE: CELEBRATING GREAT AUSTRALIAN WRITING □ G race, Robert Drewe □ The Man Who Loved □ Five Times Dizzy, Nadia □ The House in the Light, Children, Christina Stead Wheatley Beverley Farmer □ Jonah, Louis Stone □ Fox, Margaret Wild and □ M y Brilliant C areer, Miles □ To the Islands, Randolph Ron Brooks Franklin Stow □ I Own the Racecourse , □ Such is Life, Joseph Furphy □ Truth, Peter Temple Patricia Wrightson □ The Children's Bach, □ The Battlers, Kylie Tennant Helen Garner □ The Slap, Christos Tsiolkas □ Lilian's Story, Kate □ Voss, Patrick White Non fiction Grenville □ Cloudstreet, Tim Winton □ Captivity Captive, Rodney □ Carpentaria, Alexis Wright - narrative/ Hall □ Swallow the Air, Tara June □ Power Without Glory, Winch h is t o r y Frank Hardy □ Cafe Scheherazade, □ The Tyranny of Distance, □ Capricornia, Xavier Arnold Zable Herbert Geoffrey Blainey □ The Transit of Venus, □ Dancing with Strangers, Shirley Hazzard C h i l d r e n ’s Inga Clendinnen □ Carry Me Down, J M □ Stasiland, Anna Funder Hyland b o o k s □ This is the A B C : The □ The Unknown Industrial Australian Broadcasting Prisoner, David Ireland Commission 1932-1983, K □ As I Grew Older, Ian S Inglis □ Moral Hazard, Kate Abdulla Jennings □ The Colony, A History □ Little Brother, Allan Baillie of Early Sydney, Grace □ Dr W ooreddy’s □ Mirror, Jeannie Baker Prescription for Enduring Karskens □ The Gathering, Isobelle □ Australians: Origins to the End of the World, Colin Carmody Johnson/Mudrooroo Eureka, Thomas Keneally □ Strange Objects, Gary □ The Other Side of the □ The Far Road, George Crew Johnston Frontier: Aboriginal □ The Red Shoe, Ursula Resistance to the □ Miss Peabody's Dubosarsky Inheritance, Elizabeth European Invasion of □ Tjarany Roughtail, Gracie Australia, Henry Reynolds Jolley Greene, Joe Tramacchi, □ Five Bells, Gail Jones □ A Million Wild A c re s, Eric and Lucille Gill Rolls □ The Chant of Jimmie □ The Great Bear, Libby Blacksmith, Thomas □ A Peculiar People , Gavin Gleeson and Armin Souter Keneally Geber □ The Year of Living □ A Complete Account □ Crusher is Coming, Bob of the Settlem ent a t Port Dangerously, Christopher Graham Koch Ja ck so n , Watkin Tench □ The Silver Donkey, Sonya □ Myths and Legends of □ The Lost Dog, Michelle de Hartnett Kretser the Australian Aborigines, □ Taronga, Victor Kelleher David Unaipon □ The Pea-Pickers, Eve □ Looking for Alibrandi, Langley □ The Australian Legend , Melina Marchetta Russell Ward □ The Morality of □ The Two Bullies, Junko Gentlem en, Amanda Morimoto Lohrey □ Stradbroke Dreamtime, B i o g r a p h y □ The G ood Parents, Joan Left: Craig Silvey Oodgeroo Noonuccal London and Bronwyn Bancroft □ John Curtin: A Life, Upper right: Kate Grenville David Hay □ An Imaginary Life, David □ The Papunya School Lower right: Anita Heiss □ Broken song: T G H Malouf book of country and Strehlow and Aboriginal □ The White Earth, Andrew History, Papunya School Possession, Barry Hill McGahan □ Playing Beatie Bow, Ruth □ Journey to the Stone Park □ Barwick, David Marr □ Christina Stead: A Country, Alex Miller □ Dot and the Kangaroo, □ The Murray Whelan Trilogy, Biography, Hazel Rowley N o v e l s Ethel C Pedley Shane Maloney □ My Girragundji, Boori □ At Parramatta, Ethel □ Grand Days, Frank Pryor and Meme Anderson Moorhouse McDonald Y o u r s c o r e □ Tirra Lirra by the River, □ The Harp in the South, □ Beyond the Labyrinth, Ruth Park Jessica Anderson Gillian Rubinstein 150+ Impressive, but you need to get out □ Coonardoo □ It's Raining in M ango, , Katharine □ 100 Australian Poems for m o r e Thea Astley Susannah Prichard Children, Clare Scott- 100 - 150 Your know ledge is □ The Fortunes of Richard □ Eucalyptus, Murray Bail Mitchell and Kathlyn encyclopaedic (for under 30s, an Mahony, □ True History of the Kelly Henry Handel Griffith encyclopaedia was like W ikipedia, but a G an g, Peter Carey Richardson □ Ash R oad, Ivan Southall lot m ore reliable) □ That Deadman Dance, □ The Time We Have Taken, □ The Arrival, Shaun Tan 50 - 100 Your book group must love you Kim Scott Steven Carroll □ Seven Little Australians, 0 - 50 You need to stay in more □ For the Term of His Natural □ Faith Singer, Rosie Scott Ethel Turner Life, Marcus Clarke □ Disgrace, J M Coetzee January/February 2013 INCITE | 19 FEATURE: CELEBRATING GREAT AUSTRALIAN WRITING Australian content for Australian readers There's plenty of talk in the library world about ebooks and elending - the platforms we use, the willingness of publishers to provide us with content, all the issues around licensing and digital rights management. We are already working through the Book Industry Collaborative Council and IFLA to raise topics of particular concern to Australian libraries - public, school, academ ic, and special - and this year, ALIA is working with the Australian Society of Authors to bring another aspect of the ebook phenomenon to the attention of a wider audience. Some of Australia's favourite novels. Both associations are equally worried about the potential for Australian writing to be drowned out by the wave of ubiquitous, global content coming from the big six publishers. We're working together access to the same broad spread Australian content in the National to find ways of avoiding this outcome. of Australian writing that we enjoy Curriculum. Later in the year, we will be working with the today. For more information about the Australian Society of Authors to bring together We're anticipating that the summit, contact us via advocacy@ library leaders, authors, publishers, and other key discussion will range from how we alia.org.au. stakeholders to develop an action plan for how we support smaller local publishers ensure the next generation of readers has ready through to securing the position of O ne sm all step for yo u r library can m ake a huge difference to its productivity.