NLA image of person
Andrea Goldsmith Andrea Goldsmith i(A31738 works by) (a.k.a. Andrea Elizabeth Goldsmith)
Born: Established: 1950 Melbourne, Victoria, ;
Gender: Female
Heritage: Jewish
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

Works By

Preview all
1 Out of the Shadows : A Memoir of Hearing Loss and Identity Andrea Goldsmith , 2021 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , April no. 430 2021; (p. 24-25)

— Review of The Shape of Sound Fiona Murphy , 2021 single work autobiography

'More than twenty-five years ago, I wrote an essay on the work of Oliver Sacks (Island Magazine, Autumn 1993). Entitled ‘Anthropologist of Mind’, it ranged across several of Sacks’s books; but it was Seeing Voices, published in 1989, that was the main impetus for the essay. In Seeing Voices, Sacks explored American deaf communities, past and present. He exposed the stringent and often punishing attempts to ‘normalise’ deaf people by forcing them to communicate orally, and he simultaneously deplored the denigration and widespread outlawing of sign language. Drawing on the work of Erving Goffman, Sacks showed how deaf people were stigmatised and marginalised from mainstream culture, and he revealed, contrary to prevailing opinion in the hearing world, the richness and complexities of American Sign Language.' (Introduction)

2 5 y separately published work icon Invented Lives Andrea Goldsmith , Carlton North : Scribe , 2019 14975954 2019 single work novel

'It is the mid-1980s. In Australia, stay-at-home wives jostle with want-it-all feminists, while AIDS threatens the sexual freedom of everyone. On the other side of the world, the Soviet bloc is in turmoil.

'Mikhail Gorbachev has been in power for a year when twenty-four-year-old book illustrator Galina Kogan leaves Leningrad - forbidden ever to return. As a Jew, she's inherited several generations worth of Russia's chronic anti-Semitism. As a Soviet citizen, she is unprepared for Australia and its easy-going ways.

'Once settled in Melbourne, Galina is befriended by Sylvie and Leonard Morrow, and their adult son, Andrew. The Morrow marriage of thirty years balances on secrets. Leonard is a man with conflicted desires and passions, while Sylvie chafes against the confines of domestic life. Their son, Andrew, a successful mosaicist, is a deeply shy man. He is content with his life and work - until he finds himself increasingly drawn to Galina.

'While Galina grapples with the tumultuous demands that come with being an immigrant in Australia, her presence disrupts the lives of each of the Morrows. No one is left unchanged. Invented Lives tells a story of exile - exile from country, exile at home, and exile from one's true self. It is also a story about love.' 

(Publication summary)

1 An Imagination on High Alert : Dorothy Porter (1954-2008) Andrea Goldsmith , 2018 single work column
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , December no. 407 2018; (p. 50-51)

'I heard the Egypt story countless times, but then Dorothy Porter believed that if a story was worth telling, it warranted multiple retellings. In the late 1980s, before Dot and I met, she visited Egypt to gather material for her verse novel Akhenaten (1992). In Cairo, she joined a tour group taking in the major historical sights. Dot was, by this time, steeped in the life and times of the visionary pharaoh Akhenaten: no matter what was in front of her, her thoughts remained fixed on Akhenaten and his queen, Nefertiti. It was perhaps inevitable that she would suggest the tour group take a detour – a very long detour as it turned out – to see Akhet-Aten, the city built by Akhenaten and greatly loved by him. She promised her fellow travellers an unparalleled treat.'  (Introduction)

1 'Odysseus and Me' Andrea Goldsmith , 2018 single work prose
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , April no. 400 2018; (p. 58-59)

'I have always believed that, at a personal level, anything is possible, that if I desire to be a particular someone or do a particular something, I can. All my desires have been realistic: no hankerings for time travel or reinvention as a theoretical physicist, although both have enormous appeal. My desires have been possibilities: working as a volunteer in Africa, joining a choir, mountaineering, falling helplessly in love, winning the Booker. The only impediments would be lack of ability, lack of application, and/or lack of courage – all of which, given enough time, could be overcome.' (Introduction)

1 The Missing Novels Debra Adelaide , Bernadette Brennan , Geraldine Brooks , Gregory Day , Ian Donaldson , Anna Funder , Andrea Goldsmith , Rodney Hall , Sonya Hartnett , Gail Jones , Susan Lever , Brian Matthews , Peter Rose , Susan Sheridan , Geordie Williamson , 2015 single work column
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , September no. 374 2015; (p. 41-43)
'Early success is no guarantee of a book’s continued availability or circulation. Some major and/or once-fashionable authors recede from public consciousness, and in some cases go out of print. We invited some writers and critics to identity novelists who they feel should be better known.'
1 11 y separately published work icon The Memory Trap Andrea Goldsmith , Sydney South : HarperCollins Australia , 2013 Z1908497 2013 single work novel 'The past feeds into the present and often undermines it in this story about marriage, memory and mistakes that can never be forgiven. It features Nina, a memorial consultant and her futurologist husband Daniel: her sister Zoe, a music teacher and Zoe's biographer husband, American ex-alcoholic Elliot. And lastly, there is Ramsay Blake, a genius at the piano but a half-baked human being in every other respect. All the relationships are on shaky ground. As for memory and forgiveness are less reliable than what we would like to think.' (Source: Author's website: http://andreagoldsmith.com.au/the-memory-trap/ )
1 A Year of Reading Kerry Greenwood , Chris Wallace-Crabbe , Emily Maguire , Robert Adamson , Brenda Niall , A. P. Riemer , Helen Garner , Peter Carey , Lisa Gorton , John Bradley , Clare Wright , Alexis Wright , Geraldine Brooks , Hannah Kent , Dennis Altman , Andrea Goldsmith , 2013 single work column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 14-15 December 2013; (p. 28-28) The Age , 14 December 2013; (p. 22)
'Australian authors and critics sift through the piles of books they read in 2013 to highlight the treasures they found.'
1 Books of the Year Dennis Altman , James Ley , Geoffrey Lehmann , John Kinsella , Paul Kane , Lisa Gorton , Kerryn Goldsworthy , Andrea Goldsmith , Judith Beveridge , Don Anderson , John Tranter , Jane Sullivan , Peter Stothard , Brenda Niall , Alex Miller , Brian McFarlane , David McCooey , Patrick McCaughey , Chris Wallace-Crabbe , Tony Birch , 2012 single work column
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , December 2012 - January 2013 no. 347 2012; (p. 31-32, 34-37)
Australian writers and reviewers each nominate their best books of 2012. Some of the books listed are by Australian writers.
1 A Glorious Dot in the Universe Andrea Goldsmith , 2012 single work prose
— Appears in: The Saturday Age , 3 November 2012; (p. 20-21)
1 Books of the Year Patrick Allington , Judith Beveridge , Carmel Bird , Geoffrey Blainey , Alison Broinowski , Sophie Cunningham , Ian Donaldson , Gillian Dooley , Andrea Goldsmith , Kerryn Goldsworthy , Rodney Hall , Paul Hetherington , Gail Jones , Jacqueline Kent , John Kinsella , James Ley , Patrick McCaughey , Brian McFarlane , Michael Morley , Brenda Niall , John Rickard , John Tranter , 2011 single work column
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , December 2011-January 2012 no. 337 2011; (p. 27-31)
Australian writers and reviewers each nominate their best books of 2011. Some of the books listed are by Australian writers.
1 Moral Patchwork Andrea Goldsmith , 2011 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , November no. 336 2011; (p. 38-39)

— Review of Singing for All He's Worth : Essays in Honour of Jacob G. Rosenberg 2011 anthology essay criticism poetry
1 Best Books of the Year Patrick Allington , Dennis Altman , Don Anderson , Carmel Bird , Nicholas Birns , Alison Broinowski , Jo Case , Glyn Davis , Gillian Dooley , Andrea Goldsmith , Lisa Gorton , Rodney Hall , Kate Holden , Jacqueline Kent , James Ley , Patrick McCaughey , Brian McFarlane , Brenda Niall , Peter Pierce , Angus Trumble , Geordie Williamson , Thuy On , Stephanie Owen Reeder , Mike Shuttleworth , Ruth Starke , 2010 single work column
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , December 2010 - January 2011 no. 327 2010; (p. 38-43)
Australian writers and reviewers each nominate their best books of 2010. Some of the books listed are by Australian writers.
1 Rich Pickings Christos Tsiolkas , A. P. Riemer , Robert Adamson , Jon Bauer , Geraldine Brooks , Chris Wallace-Crabbe , Chris Womersley , Helen Garner , Alex Miller , Kate Holden , Brenda Walker , Steven Amsterdam , Nam Le , Peter Temple , M. J. Hyland , Andrea Goldsmith , Michael Sexton , Michael McGirr , 2010 single work column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 11-12 December 2010; (p. 30-31)
Australian writers, together with Lloyd Jones and Colm Toibin, each nominate their favourite books of 2010. Some of the titles listed are by Australian authors.
1 All I Want ... Is a Book Brenda Walker , Nam Le , Christos Tsiolkas , Helen Garner , Jon Bauer , Alex Miller , Chris Wallace-Crabbe , Chris Womersley , Kate Holden , Steven Amsterdam , Peter Temple , M. J. Hyland , Andrea Goldsmith , Shane Maloney , Robert Adamson , Michael McGirr , Les Murray , Geraldine Brooks , 2010 single work column
— Appears in: The Age , 11 December 2010; (p. 24-26)
Australian writers, together with Lloyd Jones and Colm Toibin, each nominate their favourite books of 2010. Some of the titles listed are by Australian authors.
1 Home Triptych Andrea Goldsmith , 2010 single work essay
— Appears in: Home Truth 2010; (p. 163-191)
1 A Moment of Falling Andrea Goldsmith , 2010 single work novel extract
— Appears in: Verity La , December 2010;

Two extracts from Reunion.

1 Best Books of the Year Patrick Allington , Dennis Altman , Judith Armstrong , Nicholas Birns , James Bradley , Peter Craven , Morag Fraser , Andrea Goldsmith , Anna Goldsworthy , Lisa Gorton , Bridget Griffen-Foley , Paul Hetherington , Jacqueline Kent , John Kinsella , James Ley , Patrick McCaughey , Brian McFarlane , Peter Mares , David Marr , Brenda Niall , Peter Pierce , Geordie Williamson , Maya Linden , Pam Macintyre , Agnes Nieuwenhuizen , Stephanie Owen Reeder , Mike Shuttleworth , 2009 single work column
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , December 2009 - January 2010 no. 317 2009; (p. 20-25)
Australian writers and reviewers each nominate their best books of 2009. Some of the books listed are by Australian writers.
1 Readings Can Be Cheerful Alex Miller , Emily Maguire , Luke Davies , Emily Ballou , Steven Amsterdam , Kate Grenville , Brenda Niall , Peter Carey , M. J. Hyland , John Banville , Helen Garner , Geraldine Brooks , Andrea Goldsmith , Chris Wallace-Crabbe , Toni Jordan , Matthew Reilly , Charlotte Wood , Anson Cameron , Michael McGirr , Peter Temple , Robert Adamson , Nikki Gemmell , Steven Carroll , 2009 single work column
— Appears in: The Age , 12 December 2009; (p. 26-28)
A range of writers offer their opinions on the books they most enjoyed reading in 2009. Some of the books cited are by Australian writers.
1 Open Page : Andrea Goldsmith Andrea Goldsmith , 2009 single work column
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , November no. 316 2009; (p. 68)
1 Road to Redemption Mark Dapin , Diane Armstrong , Susan Varga , Joanne Fedler , Andrea Goldsmith , Arnold Zable , 2009 single work short story crime
— Appears in: The Australian Jewish News , 18 September vol. 75 no. 50 2009; (p. p. 11-12)
"It's Rosh Hashanah and Danny Shapiro finds himself a free man after two years locked up in jail. Will he seek redemption or revenge? Road to Redemption is a tale of deceit, guilt, family and new beginnings." -- The Australian Jewish News
X