Cirrus@Austlit

'The October issue of ABR brings together some of the country’s finest critics on the latest political and cultural developments. In our cover article, David Jack offers a trenchant critique of the privileging of ‘bare life’ in state responses to the pandemic. Morag Fraser reads Tim Bonyhady’s latest book on the politics of visual culture in Afghanistan, while James Curran assesses the recent history of Australian–American diplomatic relations. It is a blockbuster fiction issue with reviews of the latest offerings by Sally Rooney and Jonathan Franzen by Beejay Silcox and Declan Fry, respectively. Booker Prize shortlisted novels by Damon Galgut and Richard Powers are also examined. David McCooey follows poet Sarah Holland-Batt as she ‘fishes for lightning’ in her criticism, and there are new poems by Ann Vickery and Alex Skovron. The issue also looks at work by Maggie Nelson, Jeanette Winterson, Nicolas Rothwell – and much, much more!' (Publication abstract)