Cirrus@Austlit

'My first book was yellow. On its cover was a bumblebee and the words ‘All the best things in the world begin with a b.’ I look at the words, and the words make sense, and suddenly the book springs into story. All these years later I can open that book’s hard yellow covers and I am six years old, alone at night, and making a discovery that will mean I am never alone again. There is a boy, there is a butterfly, and there is a bumblebee. They all begin with a b, they are all found in the book, and they are all the best things in the world.'  (Introduction)

'Since the controversy and acclaim that surrounded the publication of Disgrace (1999), the awarding of the Nobel Prize for literature and the publication of Elizabeth Costello: Eight Lessons (both in 2003), J. M. Coetzee's status has begun to steadily rise to the point where he has now outgrown the specialized domain of South African literature. Today he is recognized more simply as one of the most important writers in the English language from the late 20th and early 21st century. Coetzee's productivity and invention has not slowed with old age. The Childhood of Jesus, published in 2013, like Elizabeth Costello, was met with a puzzled reception, as critics struggled to come to terms with its odd setting and structure, its seemingly flat tone, and the strange affectless interactions of its characters. Most puzzling was the central character, David, linked by the title to an idea of Jesus. J.M. Coetzee's The Childhood of Jesus: The Ethics of Ideas and Things is at the forefront of an exciting process of critical engagement with this novel, which has begun to uncover its rich dialogue with philosophy, theology, mathematics, politics, and questions of meaning.' (Publication summary)

'Halfway House is a collection of original, scholarly and inventive essays and images. It brings together writers who are both noted and new voices in contemporary discussions of Australian engagement with place. Rather than attempting to impose a uniform concept of Australian poetics, the contributors to Halfway House have investigated revealing situations, occasions and technology.

Using poetics in many senses, Halfway House is an exciting, original and provocative contribution to how Australians use, confront or avoid the place we live, its history, its environment and culture.' (Publisher's blurb)

 (Introduction)