by Stories from the Archive | Sep 22, 2023 | Nonfiction extract
by Kay Keavney (1921-1989) “Working at white heat, 20,000 words a day can pour from her pen, yet the last thing on her mind is publication. This notable Australian writes because it is in her. Now returned from abroad she granted KAY KEAVNEY one of her rare...
by Stories from the Archive | Sep 15, 2023 | Fiction
by Agnes Murphy (1865-1931) The opening chapter of Agnes Murphy’s only novel, One woman’s wisdom, following Teresa Pitt’s review which appeared on Wednesday. Book 1, Chapter 1 The smoke curled lazily above the thatched roof of a cottage of poor...
by Stories from the Archive | Aug 18, 2023 | Fiction
by Ellen Davitt (1812-1879) writing as Mrs Arthur Davitt An extract from the first chapter of Ellen Davitt’s novel, Force and fraud, which appeared in The Australian journal in 1865. FORCE AND FRAUD; A TALE OF THE BUSH. BY MRS. ARTHUR DAVITT. Author of ”...
by Stories from the Archive | Aug 11, 2023 | Fiction
by Mary Grant Bruce (1878-1958) To complement Michelle Scott Tucker’s essay on Mary Grant Bruce’s iconic Billabong books, we present Chapter 1 of A little bush maid, the initial book in the series. (As Michelle warns, the series contains outdated values...
by Stories from the Archive | Jul 21, 2023 | Fiction
by Barbara Baynton (1857-1929) Baynton’s Human Toll is a gothic novel, almost unrelievably dark. The passage we have chosen here is a relatively lighter one, illustrating Ursula’s yearning for freedom from her oppressive foster parents, the Rev and Mrs...
by Stories from the Archive | Jun 23, 2023 | Extracts, Novel extract
by Kylie Tennant (1912-1988) On Wednesday, Bronwyn discussed Kylie Tennant’s ALS prize-winning novel, The Battlers, and the hardships endured by female characters who tramped the outback. The following extract, from near the start of the novel, introduces one of...
