Cirrus@Austlit

'This is the first scholarly collection dedicated to the writing and voice of New Zealand-Australian author Ruth Park. Known for novels that have achieved both popular success and critical acclaim – such as The Harp in the South (1948) and Playing Beatie Bow (1980), both of which remain in print – Park’s career has involved an unusual blend of wide-ranging public appeal and literary distinction. In addition to her nine adult novels and over twenty children’s books, including the long-running, multi-volume Muddleheaded Wombat series (1962–1982), Park also produced significant works of journalism, rigorously researched history, and travel writing, most notably The Companion Guide to Sydney (1973), and wrote countless radio plays. Yet, despite these accomplishments, her oeuvre has been somewhat overlooked in academic circles, where her popular and professional success appears to have deterred a deeper examination of the literary qualities of her work.'  (Introduction)