Set in Anatolia in the 1920s under Turkish rule, Christ Recrucified tells the story of Manolios, a shepherd, chosen to play the part of Christ in the village's Passion Play. With the arrival of a group of refugees whose village has been destroyed by the Turks, the lives of those chosen to take part in … Continue reading One Minute Book Review – Christ Recrucified by Nikos Kazantzakis
Van Diemen’s Land
Like so many traditional songs there are a number of versions of Van Diemen's Land. Apart from various musical interpretations, there are a variety of lyrics depending on the country of origin of the singer, England or Ireland. The earliest published lyrics can be found in the Launceston Examiner of 21 Nov 1839 (p.2, c1). … Continue reading Van Diemen’s Land
Maps
Quite some years ago I applied for a job cataloguing maps. The interview was going well when one of the interviewers placed a map in front of me and asked me how I would catalogue it - it was a cadastral map overlaying a topographic map of an area of Melbourne in the 1880s. I … Continue reading Maps
9 August 1588 – Elizabeth I’s Speech to her Troops at Tilbury
Armada Portrait On 9 August 1588, Elizabeth I delivered a speech at Tilbury, Essex to troops drawn from all over England in expectation of an immanent Spanish invasion. Elizabeth appeared before the troops dressed in white wearing a silver cuirass and riding on a grey gelding. Other descriptions have her wearing a plumed helmet and … Continue reading 9 August 1588 – Elizabeth I’s Speech to her Troops at Tilbury
One Minute Book Review – Noonday by Pat Barker
The third book in Pat Barker's Life Class trilogy takes up the story of Elinor Brooke, Paul Tarrant and Kit Neville in 1940, over twenty years after the events of the first two books ( 1 -Life Class and 2-Toby's Room) The world is at war again and London is suffering sustained aerial bombing. As … Continue reading One Minute Book Review – Noonday by Pat Barker
My Reading – July 2016
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte Life Class by Pat Barker Nelly Dean by Alison Case Sleeper's Castle by Barbara Erskine Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
One Minute Book Review – Sun on the Stubble by Colin Thiele
The first time I laughed out loud while reading a book in public occurred reading Sun on the Stubble on the tram home from school, aged twelve. Although considered a children’s book, this is one book that I am happy to read again and again. Bruno Gunther is the youngest son of a hardworking German … Continue reading One Minute Book Review – Sun on the Stubble by Colin Thiele
Marvellous Melbourne
It is amazing the gems that can be found courtesy of google. This is a film by Charles Cozens Spencer called 'Marvellous Melbourne (Australia): Queen City of the South'. The music accompanying it is 'Mock Morris" by Melbourne's Percy Grainger. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvqFnfA76zA I don't think the film does justice to Australia's own game of football so … Continue reading Marvellous Melbourne
One Minute Book Review – Nelly Dean by Alison Case
A retelling of Wuthering Heights, once again from the point of view of the housekeeper, Nelly Dean. This time Nelly relates those elements that she withheld in the original story. The characters in Case’s story retain the personalities of the original but Nelly Dean attempts to explain their motivations and to provide hidden meaning to … Continue reading One Minute Book Review – Nelly Dean by Alison Case
Opening lines
Lately, there have been a number of lists floating around the web of great opening lines from literature. One the basis of these single sentences most people would want to read further. Here I have put together the opening one or two lines of a dozen of my favourite books. While most of them do … Continue reading Opening lines
Catherine Meyrick 