Last night I watched a recording of the first Tuesday Night Book Club’s “10
Aussie Books to Read Before you Die.” For much of this year the show’s
website asked people to select their choice from a list of 50 Australian authored
books.
I voted a while back and I can’t remember if I went
for The
Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes, The True History of the Kelly Gang
by Peter Carey or Capricornia by Xavier Herbert. At the time I had read nine of
the books on the list, I have since read one more.
After the
program had listed ten to five, I was thinking how well read I am, as I had
read three of the six books (The Secret River, The Slap and The
Power of One). I was very hopeful that The True History of the Kelly
Gang would be number one. But I had forgotten about Cloudstreet
by Tim Winton which consistently wins polls for favourite Aussie novel.
The ten
books people selected were:
1. Cloudstreet - Tim Winton
2. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
3. A Fortunate Life - A.B. Facey
4. The Harp in the South - Ruth Park
5. The Power of One - Bryce Courtenay
6. Jasper Jones - Craig Silvey
7. The Magic Pudding - Norman Lindsay
8. The Slap - Christos Tsiolkas
9. The Secret River - Kate Grenville
10. Picnic at Hanging Rock - Joan Lindsay
I had
never heard of The Book Thief or Jasper Jones. I plan to one day read Cloudstreet and The Harp in the South.
My Ten Aussie Books.
If they
opened the list up to all Australian authored books then my list of the ten Aussie
books people should read before they die would look like this:
1. The Sea and Summer - George Turner
2. The True History of the Kelly Gang – Peter Carey
3. Capricornia – Xavier Herbert
4. The Fatal Shore – Robert Hughes
5. The Slap – Christos Tsiolkas
6. Power Without Glory – Frank Hardy
7. Genetic Soldier – George Turner
8. Blood – Tony Birch
9. Things We Didn’t See Coming – Steve Amsterdam
10. The Waterboys – Peter Docker.
My list
is of books that I think say something about Australia and what is to be an
Australian, unlike a few of the books in the First Tuesday list. My selections cover
our past, present and future, whereas the future is not touched in the First
Tuesday list. My list would be different if I was just selecting my favourite
Aussie Books.
About a
third of the books I read are written by Australians. I worry that a lot of
Australian writers and wannabe authors appear not to read Australian authored
books and somehow find more relevance in books written overseas.
4 comments:
I was pretty disappointed by their list.
I read the Book Thief and began Jasper Jones, and I thought they were average. Polls like this are often affected by recent books, which those two are.
I hadnt read Cloudstreet either. I tried too a year ago. It felt too old school, or old fashioned or something. Perhaps that style was fresh 25yrs ago but its not now. (Its set in the late 50;s i think, prob when Winton grew up). Yeah, good on ya cobber! That sort of thing.
Personally I dont see how they could pass The Fatal Shore, one of the best books ever written, though it isn't a novel and also A Short Life by Ian Jones, a brilliant insight into Ned Kelly.
I recently read a Light between Oceans which is doing really well overseas - definitly a chicks book - lol. It was okay, but not really my thing.
I havent read alot of yr list.
Personally Im over TNBC. Can't stand Marieke Hardy. She makes me gag. A pity as I like the others.
Hi Anthony,
I don't mind Marieke Hardy, she has strong opinions which often differ with mine. I think Jason Steger is too worried he will offend authors much of the time.
When I am on my next Ned Kelly binge I will have a look at A Short Life.
Agree about The Fatal Shore, it should be read by all Australians so they get an idea of our convict past.
I was pretty disappointed too. I didn't enjoy "The Book Thief" (though having Death as the narrator was clever). I didn't like Jasper Jones much either. I haven't read The Slap but if the television series was anything to go on I don't consider that a loss (and I do realise that makes me out of step with most people). I'm not a fan of Bryce Courtney (with the exception of April Fools Day) so The Power of One wouldn't have got my vote. I've never read The Magic Pudding or The Secret River so I can't comment on them. Cloudstreet is a period piece and I enjoyed it when I read it some years ago.The remaining three -A Fortunate Life, The Harp in the South and Picnic at Hanging Rock I like very much.
I like a lot of the books on your list, Graham, and that makes me want to read those I haven't so far like those by George Turner.
Helen,
I often mention George Turner on his blog. If you can get a copy of his A Pursuit of Miracles that will give you a very good idea of what his writing is like. It is a collection of eight short stories - three of which he later extended into novels. One became The Sea and Summer and another became Genetic Soldiers.
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