Cirrus@Austlit

A column canvassing current literary news including the list of shortlisted and commended authors in the inaugural ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize. 'Advances' also comments on Paul Kelly's article, 'Howard's Phantom Toast to Menzies', Weekend Australian, 17-28 September 2011.

(Note: the ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize was previously called the ABR Short Story Competition.)

John Thompson argues that ABR, in publishing Paul Brunton's review of Eileen Chanin's Book Life: The Life and Times of David Scott Mitchell 1836-1907, should have ackowledged Brunton's association with the Mitchell collections of the State Library of New South Wales. Thompson says: 'I think readers of ABR should be alerted to any special interest which either colours a review or which adds substantial value both to commentary and to wider critical debate'.

Paul Brunton replies to John Thomspon's assertion that readers of ABR should have been alerted to Brunton's association with the State Library of New South Wales's Mitchell collection when Brunton reviewed Eileen Chanin's Book Life: The Life and Times of David Scott Mitchell 1836-1907.

Gabrielle Wang disputes statements pertaining to the historical record made in Ruth Starke's review of Wang's Meet Poppy.

'Chris Flynn surveys the publishing options for literary novelists in today's "box-office" fiction landscape, and questions writers Peter Carey, Sophie Cunningham, Nick Earls, and Mardi McConnochie on the topic.' (Editor's abstract)

Margaret Harris champions 'the recent reissuing of "writer's writer" Christina Stead's transnational novel The Man Who Loved Children'. In particular, Harris focuses on Jonathan Franzen's interest in the novel and his introduction to the 2011 Miegunyah Modern Library edition.

Fiona Morrison champions 'the recent reissuing of "writer’s writer" Christina Stead's transnational novel Letty Fox: Her Luck'.