Magpie single work   short story  
Issue Details: First known date: 2017... 2017 Magpie
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'Seventeen weeks after they moved to the city, Sofia stole her boyfriend’s mouth. She’d been toying with the idea, on and off, for months. She knew it was the lazy way out. She didn’t want things to just be handed to her – she wanted to work, to grow. She had been to the Volkshochschule and sat on a hard chair for three hours waiting to be given a number to be given a lesson. Around her the glow of green walls with no windows and a queue that made no sense, peeling posters that she deciphered, word by word, guess by guess. The classes were booked for the next three months: that was fine. She waited patiently, downloaded apps on her phone and practiced phrases with waiters and supermarket employees. Ich hatte gerne, she said. Tut mir leid, she said. Einmal Glas Rotwein, she said, and gracefully accepted the correction and the drink. She started her classes and tried to take joy in the swift rush of nouns, of simple constructions. Floundered out on the street again. Turned her failures into funny stories, good jokes. She tried her best. She really thought she was doing her best. But in the end it was so much easier to just take what she wanted.'  (Introduction) 

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

  • Appears in:
    y separately published work icon Overland vol. 227 Winter 2017 11552040 2017 periodical issue

    'Colonialism is generally considered something that we are past or post, as historical or theoretical. Cultural theorist Stuart Hall described colonialism as the ‘outer face’ of Western modernity from 1492 on, its features expansion, conquest and hegemonisation. Australia’s modern-day mask looks an awful lot like colonialism, many of the pieces in this edition observe.' (Editorial introduction)

    2017
    pg. 75-80
  • Appears in:
    y separately published work icon Best Summer Stories Aviva Tuffield (editor), Melbourne : Black Inc. , 2018 14958864 2018 anthology short story

    'Summer is the time for good stories. This lively new collection from Black Inc. draws together new and published short fiction from some of our country’s most talented storytellers, showcasing the vibrancy and diversity of Australian short fiction. Each of these memorable tales will stay with you long after reading – and the collection as a whole makes the perfect holiday gift. Whether you’re by the pool, on the beach or lazing in the park, spend your summer with Australia’s best writers. Featuring new stories from Tony Birch, Stephanie Bishop, Elliot Perlman, Aoife Clifford, Michael Mohammed Ahmad and many others, this brilliant collection continues Black Inc.’s long tradition of discovering and celebrating the country’s finest writers.'   (Publication summary)

    Melbourne : Black Inc. , 2018
    pg. 115-125
Last amended 19 Nov 2018 11:00:51
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