A perfect introduction to Australian literature, The Burning Libraryexplores the lives and work of some of our greatest novelists.
Alarmed by the increasingly marginal status of Australian literature in the academy, Williamson has set out to reintroduce us to those key writers whose works we may have forgotten or missed altogether. His focus is on fiction that gives pleasure, and he is ardent in defence of books that for whatever reason sit uneasily in the present moment.
The Burning Libraryis a dynamic act of reclamation inspired by Miles Franklin's claim that a nation that fails to acknowledge its literary treasures is 'neither preserved nor developed, but only defaced'.
Writers discussed in this collection: M. Barnard Eldershaw Xavier Herbert Christina Stead Dal Stivens Patrick White Jessica Anderson Sumner Locke Elliott Amy Witting Olga Masters David Ireland Elizabeth Harrower Thomas Keneally Randolph Stow Gerald Murnane
Geordie Williamsonis chief literary critic of the Australiannewspaper, a position he has held since 2008, though his essays and reviews have been appearing in newspapers and magazines here and in the UK for over a decade. In 2011, he won the Pascall Prize for criticism, Australia's only major national prize awarded for critical writing.
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Promotion info
* National review coverage in all major metropolitan newspapers * Extract in national newspaper * Interviews on Radio National and local ABC Radio around Australia * Review coverage in literary journals such as Australian Book Review * Review coverage in magazines such as the Monthly, Good Reading and Kill Your Darlings * Author events in Sydney and Melbourne * Author will be a guest of several major writers festivals in 2013 * Wide online review coverage * Print advertising in literary publications * Featured in bookseller newsletters and catalogues * Online advertising campaign on literary websites * Bookseller competitions for customers to win their own Australian library * Subscriber giveaways of prize packs of Australian Classic books (valued at over $500 each) to theatre goers and in literary publications * Featured in the Text Publishing newsletters to subscribers and in banner advertising online * Social media campaign with giveaways
Author description
Geordie Williamson is chief literary critic of the Australian newspaper, a position he has held since 2008, though his essays and reviews have been appearing in newspapers and magazines here and in the UK for over a decade.In 2011, he won the Pascall Prize for criticism, Australia's only major national prize awarded for critical writing. He lives in the Blue Mountains with his family.
