Cirrus@Austlit

'France bewitched Barbara Santich in the early 1970s. She vowed to return, and soon enough she did. This is the story of the magical 2 years that followed. Buoyed by naive enthusiasm, Barbara and her husband launched themselves into French village life, a world of winemaking, rabbit raising, cherry picking and exuberant 14 Juillet celebrations.'  (Publication summary)

'In these short stories the table is a scene of revenge and nostalgic memories, self-realisation and self-indulgence, separations and new beginnings. In turn warm and witty, acerbic and compassionate, sad and joyful, the stories in Dining Alone demonstrate the rich possibilities that food brings to fiction.' (Publisher's blurb)

'In the Land of the Magic Pudding is a fabulous potpourri of popular writing by our top writers, on the theme of Australian cooking and eating, the vital ingredient being the entertaining quality of the prose. Through fiction, journalism, books of etiquette, letters, diaries and travel accounts, the anthology presents wonderful reading fodder from the eighteenth century (when Joseph Banks recorded his experiences of eating indigenous foods) to the present day. Contributors include D.H. Lawrence, Miles Franklin, Marcus Clarke, Patrick White, Frank Moorhouse and Hsu-Ming Teo.'   (Publication summary)