Cirrus@Austlit

'The next 12 months promise to be exciting for Australian literature, with no fewer than seven winners of the Miles Franklin Literary Award publishing new novels.' (Introduction)

'The return of Miles Franklin winners, the first novel by a vaunted American writer and a host of histories and biographies promise an exciting 12 months for literature, writes Stephen Romei'

'Local in scale, domestic in setting, Diane Fahey’s A House by the River (Puncher & Wattmann, 93pp, $25) is nonetheless epic and monumental in its almost geological study of grief: prospective, overwhelmingly present and fading into what becomes normal life. The book covers a period of 11 years or so: six spent as carer for her mother in the family home at Barwon Heads, Victoria, and the five after her mother’s death, grieving, surviving, reconciling.' (Introduction)

'John Hubert Plunkett is one of Australia’s lost heroes, an Irishman who should be known to us all for his contribution to our society. Instead his name means nothing, to such an extent that those who discover him become passionate about telling his story. The latest recruit is Mark Tedeschi. And he may just succeed in finally propelling Plunkett to public attention.' (Introduction)