Category: Writing
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Elusive Elena’s Brilliant Novel
“My Brilliant Friend” by Elena Ferrante, is a brilliant read, if somewhat elusive at the start. This mirrors the enigmatic aspect of the novelist herself: Who is she? Is part of the draw-card the setting in Naples, that boisterous and “dangerous” city to the south of Rome? Many English speaking readers of these books, have…
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Daffodil: Biography of a Flower
Meet the Author, HELEN O’NEILL, in conversation with Suzanne Leal Thursday 21 April 2016 6.30-8pm Waverley Library I attended an interesting conversation in 2016 at the Waverley Library, Bondi Junction, Sydney, between Susanne Leal, journalist and author, and Helen O’Neill, whose recently published book, Daffodil: Biography of a Flower” was a contender for the 2016…
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Seventies feminism in Australia
THE SECOND WAVE OF FEMINISM: THE SEVENTIES: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times… The 1970s were a time of great change in Australia. This post is based on my memories of that time, and the beginning of the Women’s Movement in Sydney, Australia. By 1972, the fledgling beginnings of…
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Hurrah Helen Garner!
Congratulations to Helen Garner Helen Garner, one of my favourite Australian writers, deserves this hurrah. She writes across genres, and has recently won the prestigious Windham-Campbell prize for non-fiction. When she received an email asking for her telephone number from someone at Yale University, she thought it was a case of spam. This brings great…
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A Story of a Genteel Ghost told by Roger Britton
A Genteel Ghost a true story by Roger Britton I never believed in ghosts before, but now I am not quite sure … perhaps a “presence” is what I mean … St Mary’s Convent and school, in Warren, central New South Wales, had been the home for Josephite nuns for over one hundred years. A…
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A Story of a Special Child
My Year with Sammy by Libby Sommer Have you ever had, or known, or heard tell of a child who was amazing, beautiful, special, and … difficult? Not just difficult, but impossible? Impossible to discipline, impossible to educate, impossible to fit in … tearing her families apart … yet unable to be slotted into any…
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a father’s tale … by Ian (Harry) Wells
There really are FEELINGS IN YOUR HEART you don’t even know exist until you have a child of your own. It’s a sensation without description. When our first-born finally arrived, it was the greatest day of my life. A fortnight after the expected time of birth, my wife was put into hospital, as the doctor…
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“Snakey” by Roger Britton
“Snakey” by Roger Britton I soon learnt Death Adders were dangerous in more ways than one. The common belief among us school boys was that, once you were bitten by a death adder, you only had three minutes before your tongue went black, the whites of your eyes turned pink and you fell over and…
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The Other Side: A Poem from Sydney
Balls Head Reserve, Sydney Harbour I recently lived for eighteen months on the north side, in Waverton. One of the precious finds across the bridge was Balls Head Reserve, flanked by Sydney Harbour on three sides. This Reserve of 23 acres of bushland with native flora and fauna, Aboriginal sites, and spectacular views, was first…
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An ancient mystic: Rumi
About Rumi Born June 03, 1207in بلخ / Balkh, Afghanistan Died August 20, 1273 From Wikipedia: Mawlānā Jalāl-ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī (Persian: مولانا جلال الدین محمد رومی), also known as Mawlānā Jalāl-ad-Dīn Muhammad Balḫī (Persian: محمد بلخى) or Maulana Jalal al-Din Rumi, but known to the English-speaking world simply as Rumi, was a 13th century Persian…