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y separately published work icon Reckoning : A Memoir single work   autobiography  
Issue Details: First known date: 2015... 2015 Reckoning : A Memoir
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'Heartbreaking, joyous, traumatic, intimate and revelatory, Reckoning is the book where Magda Szubanski, one of Australia's most beloved performers, tells her story.

'In this extraordinary memoir, Magda describes her journey of self-discovery from a suburban childhood, haunted by the demons of her father's espionage activities in wartime Poland and by her secret awareness of her sexuality, to the complex dramas of adulthood and her need to find out the truth about herself and her family. With courage and compassion she addresses her own frailties and fears, and asks the big questions about life, about the shadows we inherit and the gifts we pass on.

'Honest, poignant, utterly captivating, Reckoning announces the arrival of a fearless writer and natural storyteller. It will touch the lives of its readers.' (Publication summary)

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Teachers' notes via publisher's website.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Melbourne, Victoria,: Text Publishing , 2015 .
      image of person or book cover 2433261933402834363.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 400p.
      Reprinted: 1 Aug 2016 (pbk)
      Note/s:
      • Published 23rd September 2015
      ISBN: 9781925240436 (hbk), 9781922253224 (ebk), 9781925355413 (pbk)
    • Melbourne, Victoria,: Text Publishing , 2022 .
      image of person or book cover 889666131787034652.jpg
      Image courtesy of publisher's website.
      Extent: 384p.p.
      Note/s:
      • Published 1st March 2022
      ISBN: 9781925773002 (pbk)

Other Formats

Works about this Work

Cover Stories W. H. Chong , 2019 single work column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 17 August 2019; (p. 26)

'Are words and images allies or enemies on book covers? Book designer WH Chong has some thoughts on striking the right balance between the two.' (Introduction)

Creating Australia Magda Szubanski , 2016 single work essay
— Appears in: #SaveOzStories 2016;
'I had no idea how hard it is to write a book. The sheer slog of it. The years of grinding psychological, even physical, labour. Sat hunched over a laptop for hours every day until your fingers cramp and your neck feels like someone has tried to drill a rusty nail through your vertebrae.' (Introduction)
Top Biographies Battle for $25,000 National Prize Susan Wyndham , 2016 single work column
— Appears in: The Age , 5 July 2016; (p. 10)
Biography is a growing genre in Australian writing and, according to historian Peter Cochrane, that is a sign of a healthy society.
Three Generations of Sydney Women Finalists for the 2016 Kibble Literary Award Susan Wyndam , 2016 single work column
— Appears in: Brisbane Times , 7 June 2016;
'Three generations of Sydney women are represented on the shortlist for the $30,000 Kibble Literary Award for women's life writing. ...'
Magda Szubanski May Leave Australia If Changes to Book Industry Go Ahead Steph Harmon , Lucy Clark , 2016 single work column
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 20 May 2016;

'Magda Szubanski said she would consider leaving the country and called for writers to go on strike. Richard Flanagan called for the resignation of arts minister, Mitch Fifield. Tim Winton said the Turnbull government was about to kick a “massive own goal”.'

'On a night designed to celebrate the triumphs of Australian literary culture, there was no escaping the overriding message of doom: that the Australian book industry is in peril because of proposed changes to copyright law and import restrictions. ...'

A Woman of Substance Peter Craven , 2015 single work
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 3-4 October 2015; (p. 18)

— Review of Reckoning : A Memoir Magda Szubanski , 2015 single work autobiography
What Lurks behind the Laughter Cameron Woodhead , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 17-18 October 2015; (p. 34) The Saturday Age , 17-18 October 2015; (p. 30)

— Review of Reckoning : A Memoir Magda Szubanski , 2015 single work autobiography
Szubanski's Story an Ode to Her Dad Richard Ferguson , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: The Sunday Age , 18 October 2015; (p. 17)

— Review of Reckoning : A Memoir Magda Szubanski , 2015 single work autobiography
Magda Szubanski : Reckoning Shelley McInnis , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: The Newtown Review of Books , October 2015;

— Review of Reckoning : A Memoir Magda Szubanski , 2015 single work autobiography
Magda Szubanski, Reckoning SR , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 10 October 2015;

— Review of Reckoning : A Memoir Magda Szubanski , 2015 single work autobiography
Me, Myself, Magda Jane Cadzow , 2015 single work column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 19-20 September 2015; (p. 9-11)
'Just as comedian Magda Szubanski hid her real self for much of her life, her father, too, spent decades remaining silent about the truth of his own past. Now she has detailed her personal and family struggles in a new memoir.'
My Dad Was a Wartime Assassin Siobhan Duck , 2015 single work column
— Appears in: The Sunday Mail , 20 September 2015; (p. 11)
Magda's Curly Tale of 48 Little Pigs Siobhan Duck , 2015 single work column
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 17 October 2015; (p. 14)
Magda’s Debut Licks the Literary Cream Rosemary Neill , 2016 single work column
— Appears in: The Australian , 17 January 2016; (p. 3)
The Ultimate Reckoning? Magda's a Serious Winner Susan Wyndham , 2016 single work column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 20 May 2016; (p. 20)
Last amended 7 Oct 2021 15:13:27
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