'Even if that awful summer day did not become known as Black Saturday, February 7, 2009, could not have been forgotten by anyone who experienced hot northerly winds so fierce it felt as though your eyeballs were being scorched. In inner-suburban Melbourne, where I was that day, the temperature rose above 46C, a record high for the city.' (Introduction)
'Imagine that instead of today’s bustling shopping and cafe district of Bondi Beach, where travellers from all corners of the world gather to socialise in their finery, exchange information about conditions and attractions elsewhere and engage in industry, there is … exactly the same thing.' (Introduction)
'VS Pritchett used to say the short story was “something glimpsed from the corner of the eye, in passing”. As a critic and a practitioner of the form, he knew that the angle of creative approach required is different to that of the novel. That larger form needs to be dealt with head-on.' (Introduction)
