Cirrus@Austlit

'What is the Australian literary memory? And what are the appropriate signifiers of a collective memory? Why do we often shun our literary heritage? Why are we so blind, contrary and eccentric in the ways we choose or fail to choose to commemorate our literary history in Australia? It has always seemed odd to me, in such a materialistic country, that so little remains of our authors in their regions, towns and in the cities, and that there is so little literary tourism. However, we are not without memorial spaces and monuments, but whether an author is remembered seems a chancy business in this country. It seems to have very little to do with calibre, reputation and much more to do with the vagaries of local council politics and community sentiment. For example, Judith Wright has a small but inspiring native garden named after her in the centre of Armidale, but there is nothing else in the New England region in the way of physical markers, to remember her origins, presence or contribution to literature and Australian life.' (Introduction)