When Makassar and Yolnu peoples met, a long history told in A Piece of Red Cloth
The Yolnu people of the Northern Territory had a fruitful trading relationship with the Makassar people from Indonesia long before Australia was colonised. Yolnu people would even visit Makassar, some never returned.In A Piece of Red Cloth, Arnhem Land writer Leonie Norrington, who has collaborated with three elders from the region, including Merrkiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs, evokes some of the stories told about the relationships formed and cultural exchanges. But there are tensions. Some Yolnu people are suspicious of the intentions of the Makassar traders, alcohol is free-flowing and Yolnu women are particularly vulnerable.
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My Biggest Book 05 | Roddy Doyle on The Commitments
In this episode of My Biggest Book, where prominent authors reminisce about the book that defined their career, Roddy Doyle reflects on the times and difficulties of publishing The Commitments.A comic novel about a group of Irish youth who form a soul band, it's a brash and honest portrayal of working-class Dublin. It was rejected by numerous publishers, but Roddy persisted by self publishing.The Commitments became a hit, was made into a successful film and stage play. It also formed a trilogy about the same community, including The Snapper and The Van.
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Eowyn Ivey on Alaska, bears and magic
Eowyn Ivey is best known for her magical debut novel, The Snow Child, a book set in her home state of Alaska.Her new book, Black Woods Blue Sky is also set in the beautiful and rugged wilds of Alaska, with magic and an unusual love story at its core, featuring a single mother finding tenderness in the unexpected. But does this love come at a cost?
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My Biggest Book 04 | Nikki Gemmell on The Bride Stripped Bare
For journalist and writer Nikki Gemmell her Biggest Book was a huge commercial success, but it had a sensational effect on her life and work.The Bride Stripped Bare delves into the secret life of a married woman, her frustrations, longings and sexual fantasies with graphic details of her encounters. The woman in her 30s has mysteriously disappeared and her body never found. Like her unnamed character, Nikki Gemmell wanted to embrace what she saw as the subversive freedom of anonymity, when it was first published in 2003. As Nikki tells Claire, her life was stripped bare after it was leaked that she was the author.
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Juhea Kim: City of Night Birds
Claire speaks to Juhea Kim about her latest novel which centres around an elite Russian ballet dancer returning to the stage after a serious injury.The City of Night Birds is a meditation on the purity and pain of artistic expression but also investigates its purpose in a fractured world.Â
Australia