Is there any good Australian literature, or is everything there just shit?

Is there any good Australian literature, or is everything there just shit?

Nick cave has written a couple a half decent books

Other than the Bush Poets its basically non-existent. Tall poppy syndrome kept book learning down the priorities

Katherine Mansfield is pretty good.

Tall poppy syndrome is fucking real here

I saw a news article on Facebook from the ABC about the students who got the top ATAR scores in the country, and the top comments were shit like:

>Okay but what practical skills do they have? Can they chop wood, change a tire, boil an egg, etc.
>To get these scores they would've had to spend too much time in front of a computer...would be better off outside
>School marks don't matter in the real world

Wake in fright is pretty good

This guy wrote some good literary criticism. Basically predicts the death of genuinely Australian lit after WW2.

Patrick White is pretty good but he's arguably more English than Australian.

Australia? I thought there were only kangaroos there

Oh shit Nick Cave writes books? His music is based as fuck

>turned into a commie at some backwards QLD uni
>became a right-wing anti-semite thanks to based uncle adolf
nice

I like David Malouf

desu his support for Adolf was largely because the Brits didn't like him, he was not really much of a fascist. He was an Australian Nationalist primarily.

She's kiwi bro.

Aussie here. On the global scale, we've got barely anything to offer, in literature or philosophy. And as our PC nation festers in multicult identity politics mentalities I doubt we'll ever muster anything of value in the planetary ranks of great writing.
THAT SAID. There's still some good stuff.
Classics-wise, we have some decent novels by
>Henry Handel Richardson
>Joseph Furphy
>Marcus Clarke
and the poetry of
>'Banjo' Paterson
>Henry Lawson
Both are sub-par compared to a Yeats or Whitman, having a tendency to a juvenile-seeming bouncy focus on rhyme, like Kipling. Paterson's "Man From Snowy River" is justly celebrated though and he is a good poet overall. And as for Henry Lawson, I recommend his short stories rather than his poems. In particular
>The Drover's Wife
>The Loaded Dog
Among the "celebrated" writers in Australian literature today are
>Colleen McCullough
>Thomas Keneally (of Schindler fame)
>Christos Tsiolkas (The Slap)
>David Malouf
>Peter Carey (Oscar and Lucinda)
The most modern piece of Aussie novel-writing I've read is "Japser Jones" by Craig Silvey, which was simply awful - an utter rip off of "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Huckleberry Finn" without the fine style of Lee or the humour and narrative genius of Twain.
BUT there's ONE GREAT contemporary poet in
>Robert Gray
(check out 'A Bowl of Pears') he has a very distinct style, rich imagery, a sort of subdued-vibrancy and otherworldly ability of evocation that is rare in poetry today.
Lastly, there's the eminent bad boy of art criticism:
>Robert Hughes
Check him out in "The Shock of the New" - superbly-written, strong personality, aggressive views, biting wit. The accompanying documentary, filmed in the '80's, is available to watch on YouTube. Highly recommended.

loaded dog is fkn great

Why the fuck has no one said Gerald Murnane? This board is a bunch of plebs

>Both are sub-par compared to a Yeats or Whitman, having a tendency to a juvenile-seeming bouncy focus on rhyme, like Kipling.

ehhh this isn't always bad. I can appreciate Kipling and Paterson as popular poets.

Is Australia Scandinavian?

Those comments are correct though.

they're also irrelevant, academic success is still an achievement that demonstrates ability and hard work.

Gerald Murnane
David Malouf
Elizabeth Jolly
Ruth Park
Patrick White (haven't read any of him though)
Greg Egan
Me, desu

Oh while I'm here, anyone read Tim Winton? Thoughts? I haven't, despite being from WA. The reputation of the man and his writing never interested me.

Most people wouldn't mind. Even Orwell admitted that Kipling was a "good bad poet". I thought I'd mention it because this board can be surprisingly patrician.

You can literally count the worthwhile australian writers on two hands. 80's forwards have been dominated by poofy YA writers and dull pomo. People just dont give a fuck and have no want for something better. Nick Cave is possibly the only contemporary aussie artist worth giving a fuck about

I envy americans/europeans who can draw from immense cultural/aesthetic monoliths whenever they want, but at the same time its interesting how blank a slate we have. Lots of potential, Time to get cracking boys.

Im thinking strayan outback would be almost perfect for a gothic, more cerebral western in the vein of faulkner/corncob. Maybe steeped in a bit more "weird" like Picnic at Hanging Rock rather than constant grittiness.

Also, I think a would be australian writer is better suited writing short stories rather than long winded epics in an attempt to imitate the americans

...

When the Ass Saw the Angel is a Child of God - kind of book, pretty great. Referenced heavily in Henry's Dream and Murder Ballads to a lesser extent

Death of Bunny Munro is not as good but still a fine book

>picnic at hanging rock
Ah, I see you are a man of culture too.

Honestly, strayan film is such a unique and magical thing it kind of mitigates the fact you don't produce literature. If you count all the Bad Seeds albums you got some pretty good poetry too.

I you had to pick one book from this chart as the best piece of lit australia has produced so far, which one would you choose?

The sick bag song is pretty good.

Richard Flanagan is okay.

Can anyone tell me how university is? Which is more SJW, Monash or Melbourne?I just finished year 12, my ATAR is 90 which'll get me into any course I would be interested in (I don't want to be a doctor or a lawyer) but I'm pretty hesitant about doing humanities at any Melbourne University.
Also, in terms of the OP, we have nothing to offer. Our greats are mediocre and we are very anti intellectual.

Tim winton

Diaspora!

inb4 Patrick White and Gerald Murnane

>People just dont give a fuck
That's Australia in a nutshell.

You boys just have to want it. The Americans of the 19th century were trying their hardest to distinguish themselves from the Europeans and really create something new, while at the same time using largely British and French forms in art and literature.

Ability to waste on impractical things compared to actual skills?

RANDOLPH STOW

Inb4 the last continent