Under Cover: adventures in the art of editing
Craig Munro
Under Cover: adventures in the art of editing
Craig Munro
A candid, insightful memoir by one of Australia’s foremost editors, who worked with many of the country’s finest writers.
It started in 1971, when Craig Munro was a young editor at the University of Queensland Press, with just a typewriter and a thumbed copy of the Chicago Manual of Style on his desk. Over the next two decades, Munro became involved in an invigoration of Australian writing and publishing, with University of Queensland Press at its centre.
After spotting Peter Carey’s work in an indie magazine, Munro edited Carey’s debut, The Fat Man in History. He went on to publish several of Carey’s award-winning novels, edited David Malouf’s classic work, Johnno, and helped to bring about UQP’s Indigenous publishing list. Munro championed Olga Masters and Barbara Hanrahan, edited a young Murray Bail, and became firm friends with Top of the Lake scriptwriters Gerard Lee and Jane Campion. Over his long career, he also encountered an irascible Xavier Herbert, hardworking journalist Hugh Lunn, raconteur Herb Wharton, master storyteller Elizabeth Jolley, and then-emerging talent Kate Grenville. Just as importantly, Munro mentored and trained passionate editors who are today well-known agents, editors, and publishers.
With humour, insight, and warmth, Munro recounts arguably the most daring, innovative, and well-funded period that Australian publishing has ever witnessed. Like Other People’s Words by Hilary McPhee, Under Cover is essential reading for all those who love books and cherish Australia’s unique literary culture.
Review
Mark Rubbo
University of Queensland Press (UQP) is a fine independent publisher but from the early 70s to the late 90s in particular it really punched above its weight. At one time or another, its stable of authors included Peter Carey, David Malouf, Kate Grenville, and Murray Bail. It published Peter Carey’s Oscar and Lucinda and True History of the Kelly Gang, both of which went on to win the Booker Prize. For most of that time Craig Munro was the editor behind those works.
As a young journalist, Munro was offered a job by the flamboyant head of UQP, the American academic Frank Thompson. Munro’s first encounter with Peter Carey was at the advertising agency where Carey worked. Over many bottles of beer, Carey declaimed loudly about writing and advertising: ‘I don’t want to be a full-time writer because writing’s a boring f**king insular silly occupation. I can earn a huge amount from advertising.’ But, as Munro shows, despite Carey’s apparent condescension, he took writing very seriously and was determined to master the craft.
It was strange that this small press in Australia’s most conservative city should become one of the beacons in publishing contemporary Australian poetry and fiction. When Thompson left to join another publisher, the board appointed the charming and energetic Laurie Muller to run the press. Muller came from a commercial publishing background and was shocked by UQP’s poor fiscal state, but he was fiercely committed to the idea of promoting Australian writing. He appointed Munro as the publishing manager. This was at a time when The Australian’s Greg Sheridan wondered why anyone would bother reading Australian literature and described his attempts at reading Carey’s work as ‘fruitless’. It was a fascinating time in Australia’s cultural history and Munro’s account is a warm and engrossing one. If you have the slightest interest in writing and publishing you’ll love this book – just as I did.
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