'The Introduction to this special issue explains the rationale for its publication. It is intended to further the exploration of both sides of the Queensland–Italy connection, extending the already considerable body of work on Italians in Queensland and contributing to the heretofore less-examined field of Queenslanders’ experiences of Italy. In particular, the influences exerted on Queenslanders by Italian culture and history, and the many ‘views from Queensland’ of Italy and Italians, warrant further attention. The contributions to this issue therefore fall into two categories: those concerned with Italians in Queensland, which relate to migrants and their descendants; and those concerned with movement in the opposite direction, but mainly for purposes other than migration, such as study and work, personal exploration, and acculturation. They include an interview, a memoir, a creative non-fiction piece and two book reviews, alongside five research articles.' (Publication Introduction)
'Artist Judy Watson, a member of the Waanyi people of north-west Queensland, has spent several periods in Italy, including on a residency in Tuscany in 1992, and when selected to present her work in the Australian pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 1997 and as a speaker at the aabaakwad gathering of First Nations artists at the Biennale in 2022. In the interview, Watson reflects on her connection to culture and Country and speaks of the works inspired by her stays in Italy. She also comments on changes over time in the Venice Biennale, as well as the interest in Indigenous Australian artists in Italy.' (Publication abstract)
'This article explores themes of place, literature and friendship through an engagement with David Malouf’s novel Johhno. Set in Brisbane and Italy, the article takes the form of a creative non-fiction essay, in six sections. The narrator reflects on her wanderings, bent on renunciation of everything except writing, yet hoping for revelation or union. Whereas for Malouf’s characters, Dante and Johnno, Brisbane offers a canvas to hurl themselves against, the narrator of ‘All You See’ takes the city as a point of arrival and departure. She veers towards and away from family, friends and lovers, crossing cities and continents, eventually returning home, yet still at odds with what she knows and what she has lived.' (Publication abstract)
'In this memoir, Antonella Riem reflects on her long career in Australian literary studies in Italy and internationally, and the scholars who have inspired her. She then outlines the principles of the partnership model of literary studies that she has developed over many years, and how she applies her approach to Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s ‘Kubla Khan’ and David Malouf’s An Imaginary Life.' (Publication abstract)
