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Black Saturday
The devastating Victorian bushfires of early February seem to have changed the state forever. The death toll, still not confirmed as we go to print, is incredible. The natural environment, always fragile in this state, has never seemed so vulnerable. It will take decades to recover.
Our condolences go to all the victims of the fires. Few Victorians were unaffected, directly or indirectly. Last month, in his ABR review of Tim Birkhead’s The Wisdom of Birds, Peter Menkhorst cited the internationally renowned La Trobe University ornithologist Richard Zann. Dr Zann, along with his wife and daughter, died in the Kinglake fire.
ABR wishes to donate books and magazines to affected communities and their public libraries. This is difficult at present. Two thousand houses and libraries – private or institutional – have been destroyed. The Australian Society of Authors, the Australian Booksellers’ Association and the Australian Publishers’ Association (of which ABR is a member) have joined forces to restock libraries and schools in devastated areas.
In the meantime, if you know of any individuals who have lost their libraries, please contact the Editor, who will endeavour to arrange a suitable donation.
Katherine Mansfield
Katherine Mansfield, doyenne of short story writers, is not forgotten. Last year’s Katherine Mansfield Centenary Conference, held at the University of London, has led to the creation of the Katherine Mansfield Society. (Some devotees may be surprised to learn that there wasn’t one already.) The honour board is impressive: Vincent O’Sullivan is honorary president, C.K. Stead the honorary vice-president. Professor O’Sullivan, editor of Mansfield’s letters and poetry, has stated, ‘Katherine Mansfield’s influence is still being felt by writers and readers today, and we want to ensure this recognition continues.’
Each year, members of the Society will receive three newsletters, a free journal and regular e-news. There are plans for a literary scholarship, ‘a Rhodes scholarship for literature, as it were’. Australian membership costs $65 annually ($39 for students or the unwaged). Life membership costs $9000, which is tax deductible. Mansfield’s life was short (1888-1923), but this is not the case for most, making a life membership very sensible. There is also a website: www.katherinemansfieldsociety.org. Dr Melinda Harvey, the Australian Secretary, welcomes enquiries: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Alex Miller wins Chinese award
Alex Miller’s novel Landscape of Farewell (2007) has been awarded the prestigious Chinese literary award, ‘Annual Foreign Novels, 21st Century’. The award is coordinated by the People’s Publishing House in conjunction with the Chinese Association of Foreign Literature. Each year, six to eight of the latest novels from around the world are selected for translation and publication in China. Last year, the award was won by the 2008 Nobel laureate for Literature, French novelist Jean-Marie Le Clézio.
Ruth Park wins the Dromkeen Medal
Ruth Park, the celebrated and hugely prolific author of novels, children’s fiction and non-fiction, has been named the recipient of the 2008 Dromkeen Medal. Park, born in New Zealand, came to Sydney in 1942 and married the Australian writer D’Arcy Niland. The Harp in the South, perhaps her most famous book, appeared in 1948. She had a long association with ABC Radio, beginning with children’s plays. Other well-known publications include Poor Man’s Orange (1949), Playing Beattie Bow (1980) and Swords and Crowns and Rings (1977), for which she won the Miles Franklin Award. Her list of prizes and honours is impressive. She was even made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1987. This was in the good old days, when authors often featured on that august list.
Penguin has just reissued the Harp in the South trilogy. Shirley Walker will discuss it in the June issue of ABR.
Calibre Prize
The winner of the Calibre Prize will be announced later this month at functions in Sydney and Melbourne. Full details will appear on our website and elsewhere.
2009 ABR Review Competition
It’s on again. Budding reviewers and those in full critical flower are invited to enter by July 31. The winner will receive $1000, and several commissions in ABR. (Last year’s winner, Jonathan Otis, writes for us this month.) Second prize is $250, and the third prize-winner will receive a copy of the deluxe edition of The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, valued at $399. (Christina Houen, winner of the SOED in the recent John Button Readers’ Award, rhapsodises about the dictionary in a letter to the editor this month.) More details appear on page 15. The guidelines and application form are available on our website: www.australianbookreview.com.au.
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