November Highlights
Well just the other day we announced the winner of the inaugural Readings New Australian Writing Award, which goes to Sydneysider Ceridwen Dovey for Only the Animals. I was genuinely thrilled by this, her second published work: Michelle de Kretser has described it as ‘wholly extraordinary’, and that really is the only suitable epithet for this amazing book. I was disoriented at first – animal narrators, and dead ones at that, so it’s their souls talking?! – but I soon realised I was in the hands of some kind of genius. I promptly wrote to the publisher to say it was one of the boldest story collections I had read in recent years. I think you will see this book on many more awards lists to come.
There has been something else about this prize that I think has struck all of the judges: not only were there six (actually more, but the shortlisting process is a brutal affair!) rather phenomenal debut or second books published in the last 12 months, but we had barely been aware of some of these books prior to the award process. Indeed, one of the participants in our NAW challenge wrote to us recently: ‘I liked thinking about these stories jostling together in competition, and what they say about Australia at present and the state of Australian publishing. It’s been unexpectedly heartening. I didn’t expect the range, the quality, or the variation. I may become a shortlist junkie’. Long live the NAWA!
Turning to this month’s new releases, it’s a wonderful month both for local and overseas fiction. First off I’m going to sneak Michel Faber into the local contingent, because although Dutch-born and now UK-resident, he grew up in Melbourne. Readings have for a long time been fans of his work, but with The Book of Strange New Things, he undoubtedly has written his finest novel to date.
I can’t believe I’m here saying how excited we are to have a new Christos Tsiolkas too – it’s only a year after the sublime Barracuda. But yes, now Christos presents his debut short-story collection: Merciless Gods – and it’s a ripper! We also have a beguiling novella from the much-loved Michelle de Kretser: Springtime; and short works from the ever-intriguing J.M. Coetzee: Three Stories.
Among the internationals, Richard Ford’s Frank Bascombe is back in Let Me Be Frank With You; the wonderful Norwegian Per Petterson returns with I Refuse; and Nobel winner Mo Yan’s Frog ‘is wonderful for lovers of great literature and Sinophiles alike’ according to our reviewer.
Non-fiction wise, there’s a notable clutch of great music books, namely celebrations of Nick Drake (Remembered for a While) & Joy Division (So This is Permanence), an autobiography from The Church’s Steve Kilbey (Something Quite Peculiar), and a sumptuous editon of Bob Dylan’s lyrics (The Lyrics). Also something that many people will relish is a new book of essays from Robert Dessaix: What Days are For.
Finally, I have to mention It Happened in a Holden – a tribute to a car firmly rooted in the Australian psyche. This collection of essays and stories includes a stellar contribution from Readings’ very own Emily Harms!
