The novel as essay: Charmian Clift’s writings
George Johnston and Charmian Clift both wanted to write great novels. But they lived in Australia in the 1950s, and all they could achieve in that rather parochial society was … Continue reading
The shadow of your scorn: Archilochus
The ancient Greeks thought Archilochus (spoken something like arkíll o’kos) was one of their greatest poets. The three they most admired were Homer, Archilochus and Sappho, in that order. The … Continue reading
Sappho’s invisible poetry
The literature of ancient Greece was the foundation of modern Western culture, yet we don’t know much about it, aside from the fragments which have survived into modern times. We … Continue reading
Genji monogatari
So much has been said about Genji Monogatari (源氏物語): some say it is the world’s first novel; others, the greatest novel ever written; others again an incomparable source of information … Continue reading
Liane de Pougy: My Blue Notebooks
Liane de Pougy is a pseudonym of Marie Chassaigne, later Princess Ghika (1869-1950), a novelist, actress and courtesan of France’s belle époque, one of the best known women in Paris … Continue reading
Raymond Chandler’s mean streets
Last night I watched a rerun of a TV program on Raymond Chandler, one of my heroes (along with Philip Marlowe). George V Higgins the crime writer was interviewed and … Continue reading
Zoe Oldenbourg’s Crusades
Zoé B. Oldenbourg (1916 – 2002) was both a highly esteemed specialist in mediæval French history and a critically acclaimed and prize winning historical novelist. She is best known for … Continue reading
