The Godfather: Peter Corris on the books he re-reads
Like most readers, I have favourite books; by that I mean ones I re-read or at least dip into frequently. Three of mine are: The Bare Knuckle Breed by Louis Golding, The Sweet Science by AJ Liebling and Sober Truth: A Collection of Nineteenth Century Episodes,...JANETTE TURNER HOSPITAL Forecast: Turbulence. Reviewed by Linda Funnell
These stories of family trauma find their echoes in the elements. In ‘Moon River’, the chapter of memoir that comes at the end of this collection of short stories, there is an image of the Brisbane River swollen and raucous in flood. It occurs six months after...The Godfather: Peter Corris on the decline of the Western
We know that video killed the radio star, but what killed the Western genre? Up until the 1960s the Western, in novels, pulp novelettes and short stories, was immensely popular, possibly as popular as crime fiction is today. I never saw my father open a book, but I’m...ABIGAIL SOLOMON-GODEAU Rosemary Laing. Reviewed by Annette Hughes
The art and times of Rosemary Laing. I’m looking at a 100-year-old black and white photograph of a man riding a bicycle. It is on the cover of a biography of Alfred Jarry, author of Ubu Roi and one of the bright young literary lights of the turn-of-the-century...The Godfather: Peter Corris on large-print editions
Thirty-five years ago, as a result of my neglect of diabetes, I developed retinopathy. This is a condition that can cause blindness. I was lucky; the argon laser had recently become available in Australia and skilful use of it saved my sight. As one doctor said, ‘You...THOMAS DORMANDY Opium: Reality’s Dark Dream. Reviewed by Peter Corris
A history of the world’s most fascinating drug. Did you know that only the white poppy yields opium? Did you know that harvesting opium requires great skill but that to produce heroin from morphine requires only basic chemical knowledge and simple equipment? Did...The Godfather: Peter Corris on the ghost who writes
When is a ghost-writer not a ghost-writer? My answer is, when his or her name appears on the cover. I’ve worked with six people to help them produce their autobiographies. Four books have resulted; one that was written remains unpublished and another is nearing...EMILY PERKINS The Forrests. Reviewed by Kylie Mason
Families and their enduring effect on individuals give the author of Novel About My Wife a deep well to draw from. Dorothy and Evelyn, the sisters at the heart of Emily Perkins’s novel The Forrests, are so close in age and similar in...SOFKA ZINOVIEFF The House on Paradise Street. Reviewed by Linda Funnell
This timely novel of estranged sisters and a family consumed by history gives a compelling insight into contemporary Greece. The house on Paradise Street, Athens, is home to three generations of the Perifanis family. Told alternately by Maude (or Mondi, as the Greeks...The Godfather: Peter Corris ‘With a little help from my friends’
It’s often said that writing is a solitary, lonely business. Well, I suppose the actual act of writing is done alone, but I never minded the kids coming in to ask what I was doing or to request a peanut butter sandwich; and Christopher Smart and Raymond Chandler had...CHARLES DICKENS Oliver Twist. Reviewed by Sandra Leigh Price
Nearly 200 years later, Oliver Twist is still a great read. As it is the 200th anniversary of his birth, I decided to revisit Dickens, and read, for the first time, Oliver Twist, which was originally published between 1837 and 1839 in serial fashion. The first...
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