' This chapter is based on a specifically compiled database of over 1,000 titles documenting Australian writing on Asia and covering publications from the early nineteenth century to 2019. The primary focus is on works on East Asia, South-East Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Works making only a passing reference to Asia have been excluded. Titles cover the following genres: travel writing, novels, poetry, plays, short stories, records of war correspondents, memoirs from diplomats and others, and the stories of prisoners of war and members of the military. In addition, there is a large category of invasion writing dating from the late nineteenth century to the present. Throughout, works by women writers have been identified. The chapter also documents an impressive body of writing from Australians of Asian heritage who in the twenty-first century are exploring their family and other links to Asia. '
Source: Abstract
'James Hingston (1830–1902) was born in London and arrived in Victoria in 1852, where he practised as a notary public, an agent authorised to draw up legal documents (Walker 2005:179–180). He built up considerable personal wealth from investing wisely in commercial opportunities following the goldrush era in Melbourne. Hingston never married and lived for over 30 years in his bedroom at the George Hotel, St Kilda, amid large piles of books and papers and a growing reputation for eccentricity. An indefatigable reader, he knew Shakespeare’s plays almost by heart and was considered one of Melbourne’s great raconteurs. He died at Exmouth, in England, in 1902.' (Introduction)
'From the earliest days of the British settlement of Australia, India and the crown colony of Ceylon were a familiar part of the colonists’ world. As Margaret Steven (1965:26) has noted ‘the first links made by the new colony were with India’. When supplies ran short, as they often did, ships from Calcutta brought grain, foodstuffs, spirits, clothing and live animals. India provided a lifeline for the new settlement. Many trading and shipping connections then developed, creating an increasing flow of administrators, merchants, army personnel, clergy and tourists between the Indian subcontinent and Australia. Australians constantly heard about the conditions of life in India, along with its scenic marvels, architecture, philosophies, mysteries and climate. Australia’s Indian connection was to remain strong for much of the 19th century.' (Introduction)
'From the earliest days of the British settlement of Australia, India and the crown colony of Ceylon were a familiar part of the colonists’ world. As Margaret Steven (1965:26) has noted ‘the first links made by the new colony were with India’. When supplies ran short, as they often did, ships from Calcutta brought grain, foodstuffs, spirits, clothing and live animals. India provided a lifeline for the new settlement. Many trading and shipping connections then developed, creating an increasing flow of administrators, merchants, army personnel, clergy and tourists between the Indian subcontinent and Australia. Australians constantly heard about the conditions of life in India, along with its scenic marvels, architecture, philosophies, mysteries and climate. Australia’s Indian connection was to remain strong for much of the 19th century.' (Introduction)
'James Hingston (1830–1902) was born in London and arrived in Victoria in 1852, where he practised as a notary public, an agent authorised to draw up legal documents (Walker 2005:179–180). He built up considerable personal wealth from investing wisely in commercial opportunities following the goldrush era in Melbourne. Hingston never married and lived for over 30 years in his bedroom at the George Hotel, St Kilda, amid large piles of books and papers and a growing reputation for eccentricity. An indefatigable reader, he knew Shakespeare’s plays almost by heart and was considered one of Melbourne’s great raconteurs. He died at Exmouth, in England, in 1902.' (Introduction)
' This chapter is based on a specifically compiled database of over 1,000 titles documenting Australian writing on Asia and covering publications from the early nineteenth century to 2019. The primary focus is on works on East Asia, South-East Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Works making only a passing reference to Asia have been excluded. Titles cover the following genres: travel writing, novels, poetry, plays, short stories, records of war correspondents, memoirs from diplomats and others, and the stories of prisoners of war and members of the military. In addition, there is a large category of invasion writing dating from the late nineteenth century to the present. Throughout, works by women writers have been identified. The chapter also documents an impressive body of writing from Australians of Asian heritage who in the twenty-first century are exploring their family and other links to Asia. '
Source: Abstract
