/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.14121220]

It's time for the monthly ausfag thread
Come talk about /aus/ books you've read or are planning to read, and lament our lack of culture and increasing irrelevance on every world stage but wine

[Anonymous No.14121261]

We certainly do have a high culture in this country, but it all revolves around the rather esoteric fact that our nation is fundamentally an awkward and unsuccessful attempt at transplanting European forms into a land that simply doesn't suit them and rejects them like a bad transplant. Currently I'm doing research into Hardy Wilson and his own attempts at grappling with this problem, which eventually led him to reject Europe entirely and embrace Chinese culture wholesale as the only thing that could provide the aesthetic production needed to structure consciousness in a workable way. By the end of his career, he was experimenting with the use of Chinese grammar rules, which came to fruition in his last work, 'Kurrajong Sit-Look-See', published in 1954:
>Centre of world now lies in Pacific.
>One side is China representing Asia; other is America representing Europe. Between lies Australia representing East and West.
>This meeting is joining of creative arts which are basis of civilization.
>Italian observation became photographic about 1500 A.D. Grecian observation ended 3rd century B.C. when their outlook became photographic.
>All Australian Artists are insular. Insularity cannot be overcome by desire to become creative-minded. Instinct requires generations to breed effective union. East and West cannot join in creative arts without overcoming barrier of Asian simplicity. Children born of East and West will be without esthetic barriers in succeeding generations.
This work is a very bizarre, basically incoherent analysis of contemporary (1950s) politics in terms of his highly idiosyncratic vitalism that sees history as a kind of aesthetic dialectic in which consciousness and historical events generate culture, which in turn facilitates further growth.

[Anonymous No.14121276]

Two words for you wankers: Test cricket.

[Anonymous No.14121277]

>>14121261
have sex

[Anonymous No.14121278]

>>14121261
>it all revolves around the rather esoteric fact that our nation is fundamentally an awkward and unsuccessful attempt at transplanting European forms into a land that simply doesn't suit them and rejects them like a bad transplant
lmao what the fuck are you on about, this is just retarded

[Anonymous No.14121282]

Thinking of reading the filthy Frank book. Ama

[Anonymous No.14121284]

>>14121278
So fucking true. Aus is a true success story of federalist governance in the southern hemisphere.

[Anonymous No.14121285]

>>14121261
>>Italian observation became photographic about 1500 A.D. Grecian observation ended 3rd century B.C. when their outlook became photographic.
What does it mean that they became "photographic", and how does that relate to the East/West conflict?

>East and West cannot join in creative arts without overcoming barrier of Asian simplicity
Does this mean in an artistic sense? Like the old comparison of classical asian art basically looking like a child's drawing next to western classical art?

[Anonymous No.14121288]

>>14121284
>>14121276
fuck off S****

you're not australian
you will never be australian
no one likes you

[Anonymous No.14121298]

>>14121278
This is completely true though, especially for people back then

[Anonymous No.14121299]

Great fucking job getting /cric/ 404'd lads.

[Anonymous No.14121300]

>>14121298
how is it true

[Anonymous No.14121303]

>>14121298
more like it's completely false

[Anonymous No.14121304]

[Anonymous No.14121306]

[Anonymous No.14121309]

Looking to start this beauty soon lads.

[Anonymous No.14121312]

>>14121300
The land is absolutely not suited to European ideals of land management and cultivated gardens
It pisses down for days here then doesn't rain for a month, the soil is shit, sand everywhere, bushfires for half the year, basically just trees everywhere except for what's been cleared
how are you this fucking dim, this is an essential part of Australian history

[Anonymous No.14121315]

>The land is absolutely not suited to European ideals of land management and cultivated gardens
>It pisses down for days here then doesn't rain for a month, the soil is shit, sand everywhere, bushfires for half the year, basically just trees everywhere except for what's been cleared
>how are you this fucking dim, this is an essential part of Australian history

[Anonymous No.14121321]

>>14121277
bit rude
>>14121285
can't say that i know yet, I'm very early into my research, but i thought i'd share what i have so far since aussie litizens would probably understand

[Anonymous No.14121323]

>>14121277
dilate

[Anonymous No.14121327]

>>14121312
and then how do you explain how our culture is identical to New Zealand's, a country that is far more in line with European weather? seriously, you're just spouting absolute bullshit without putting any thought into things whatsoever. I'm pretty sure I've seen you develop this """theory""" on /lit/ for a year now and it's just as ridiculous now as it was then. there's absolutely no basis to it, you just want to feel special

[Anonymous No.14121329]

What aussie books have you read that you'd recommend? I'm tempted to put this on par with something like Stoner

[Anonymous No.14121351]

>>14121327
>our culture is identical to New Zealand's
mate, I...

[Anonymous No.14121352]

australia threads are so gay. cant talk normally like other nations. either farcical boganism or weird occult self-hatred. most neurotic couintry on earth. more neurotic than kikes but not able to own it like they do. there are many based australian books and many based australian posters but very few aus-centric threads that do not become sad and pathetic except the ones which are full of shy gay boys thristy to hook up with each other in melbourne.

[Anonymous No.14121353]

>>14121312
I meant cultural and philosophical forms, not technical forms. Although the technical mismatch is important too

[Anonymous No.14121354]

>>14121276
Test cricket is the best background noise for reading

>>14121282
Is that guy Australian?

[Anonymous No.14121355]

>>14121352
so true

[Anonymous No.14121359]

>>14121352
I love my country and i am not a bogan

[Anonymous No.14121364]

>>14121352
>based australian books
post them

[Anonymous No.14121369]

>>14121364
Magic pudding

[Anonymous No.14121399]

Why would you make this thread? Apart from some stand-outs such as pic related, Australia is basically a literary and philosophical void.

[Anonymous No.14121402]

>>14121399
trying to appeal to the tucson, arizona level of literary godliness in my honest opinion

[Anonymous No.14121403]

>>14121399
Sometimes you get some good recs
Read Johnno you fags

[Anonymous No.14121443]

>>14121327
>explain how our culture is identical to New Zealand's
are you for real
and mate I didn't come up with this theory, this is common idea and follows a lot of australian works and discourse. absolute state of you

[Anonymous No.14121447]

>>14121443
>>14121351
take away the natives and there is no difference whatsoever

[Anonymous No.14121454]

>>14121447
have you even met kiwis before? they're such a meek daggy people. ausGODs really know how to live life to the full

[Anonymous No.14121456]

>>14121454
fuck up sebbo

[Anonymous No.14121491]

>>14121399
>philosophical void
lmao this board is filled with the most ignorant and arrogant people on the internet

[Anonymous No.14121527]

>>14121399
these books were kino

[Anonymous No.14122560]

>>14121456
>LE FUGG UGG LE SEGGO
not in /lit/ m8

[Anonymous No.14123718]

>can't even keep a thread going
sad

[Anonymous No.14124440]

>>14123718
Couldn't even get a regular thread!

[Anonymous No.14125123]

I remember reading the Amazon previews for that a while ago, as I sometimes do whenever some halfwit youtuber puts out a book, and I'm not exaggerating when I say it's probably the worst writing I've ever read in my entire life. It's primary school level prose, what you'd expect from a kid in grade three or so. It's worse than all of Onision's books and Shane Dawson's too.
>>14121352
Nail on the head.

[Anonymous No.14125146]

Also, does anyone else feel strongly urged to commit suicide because of the revolting weather here? I feel like we're in the last of the temperate days, and before long we will be plunged into the suffocating, unrelenting summer heat.

[Anonymous No.14125187]

>>14121352
>cant talk normally like other nations. either farcical boganism or weird occult self-hatred.
[laughs in latin american]

[Anonymous No.14125606]

Daily reminder that we produced one of the longest books ever written in English.

[Anonymous No.14125670]

>>14125606
>1,463 pages

[Anonymous No.14126675]

The Arsonist was comfy, also The Art of Growing Up was an interesting(not epic) book.

[Anonymous No.14128049]

>>14121220
How does that book compare to the movie?
I saw it for the first time recently and really liked it.

[Anonymous No.14129014]

Ive read thorn birds last week, it was probably the first book witten by a woman that ive finished, and mainly because it was about australia.
Some parts were ok, mainlt the ones about the country and how people survived back then, but others read like lonely woman fanfic

[Anonymous No.14129476]

>>14128049
Just read the book. The first half has excellent prose but it gets sloppy in the last few chapters, which knocks it down from masterpiece tier
Haven't seen the movie, though
The removed final chapter sounds like it's straight from Nick Land's blog, too

[Anonymous No.14130424]

any /lit/ book clubs in Sydney?
I went to a book club from meetup.com and was a little disappointed at the books they read :/

[Anonymous No.14130490]

Walkcunt on pooicide watch

[Anonymous No.14131185]

>>14130424
I wouldn't even trust /lit/ to hold a book club
Your best bet is to find a friend who reads and bully them into reading good shit instead of the YA and fantasy garbage they most likely do already

[Anonymous No.14131227]

>>14121220
>takes hiatus to play golf and watch horse racing
>TAB slowly eating away at the savings
>writes the same novel for the fifth time in a row to make some cash
>nominated for seven national awards and the nobel prize

Is Murnane the ultimate literary Chad?

[Anonymous No.14131671]

>>14131227
Where to start with this guy? The Plains?

There are very few Australian books I’ve enjoyed. I thought Wake In Fright was brilliant. Just Relations was ambitious, for an Australian novel, and although held promise at times, I suppose it fell flat.

Having heard lots about Tim Winton, naturally, I read his latest, The Shepard’s Hut, which was trash. Seemed like a young adult “serious” type fiction that he left all the swear words and rude bits in to make sure it wasn’t classified as young adult. But, I’ve heard excessive praise about Cloud Street and it’s waiting on my shelf.

Here’s one that I doubt anyone has read: Snake by Kate Jennings. It’s a short little thing, you can read it in one sitting, and it’s very, very good. Snake and Wake In Fright are probably the only two Australian novels I’ve wholly enjoyed.

[Anonymous No.14131679]

>>14131671
The Plains is a good place to start, then read Inland after (his best novel imo) and then Border Districts if you want more.

Wake In Fright is great too. You might like Randolph Stow if you like that outback gothic vibe. To the Islands and Tourmaline are your best bet in that regard

[Anonymous No.14131697]

>>14131679
Thanks man, I’ll chuck them on the list.

It’s unfortunate how hard it is to find genuinely good Australian literature, as opposed to literature that is sort of half decent and just excessively praised because the author is Australian and we have no one better to look up to. Imagine if Australia had a McCarthy, or a Pynchon, or a Wallace? I know they’re memes, but the thought still stands. We have no icons, no staples.

[Anonymous No.14132283]

>>14131671
I liked A Season on Earth, the longer version of his early book A Lifetime on Clouds. When it was first published the second half was cut, and the ending of the remaining part was changed.

[Anonymous No.14132289]

>>14125606
I am tempted to read it just to brag on /lit/ but I wasn't really a fan of Capricornia

[Anonymous No.14132302]

>>14125146
I work outside all summer and still don't mind the heat