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The Best Australian Stories
The Best Australian Stories 2016
‘The paint itself is part of the painting’s meaning; the words do not merely tell, but are the story…’ —Charlotte Wood
In The Best Australian Stories 2016, Charlotte Wood, author of The Natural Way of Things (winner of the 2016 Stella Prize, and the 2016 Indie Book of the Year), presents twenty pieces of outstanding short fiction.
Featuring the work of exciting new voices alongside stories by established favourites, this is a collection of great diversity. If it has a unifying thread, writes Wood, it might be her own preoccupation with ‘the trio of ghosts, monsters and visitations’. Some emerge from the natural world, others from the inner lives of characters contemplating death and its aftermath. Other stories still are playful, experimental or poetic, and celebrate the colours of the human experience.
Together they form an anthology of unusual power and resonance, which will surprise and delight in equal measure.
In The Best Australian Stories 2016, Charlotte Wood, author of The Natural Way of Things (winner of the 2016 Stella Prize, and the 2016 Indie Book of the Year), presents twenty pieces of outstanding short fiction.
Featuring the work of exciting new voices alongside stories by established favourites, this is a collection of great diversity. If it has a unifying thread, writes Wood, it might be her own preoccupation with ‘the trio of ghosts, monsters and visitations’. Some emerge from the natural world, others from the inner lives of characters contemplating death and its aftermath. Other stories still are playful, experimental or poetic, and celebrate the colours of the human experience.
Together they form an anthology of unusual power and resonance, which will surprise and delight in equal measure.
- GenresShort Stories
240 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2016
17 people are currently reading
79 people want to read
About the author
Charlotte Wood
24 books1,076 followersCharlotte Wood is the author of six novels and two books of non-fiction. Her new novel is The Weekend.
Her previous novel, The Natural Way of Things, won the 2016 Stella Prize, the 2016 Indie Book of the Year and Novel of the Year, was joint winner of the Prime Minister's Literary Award for Fiction.
Her non-fiction works include The Writer’s Room, a collection of interviews with authors about the creative process, and Love & Hunger, a book about cooking. Her features and essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, Literary Hub, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Saturday Paper among other publications. In 2019 she was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant services to literature, and was named one of the Australian Financial Review's 100 Women of Influence.
Her latest project is a new podcast, The Writer's Room with Charlotte Wood, in which she interviews authors, critics and other artists about the creative process.
Her previous novel, The Natural Way of Things, won the 2016 Stella Prize, the 2016 Indie Book of the Year and Novel of the Year, was joint winner of the Prime Minister's Literary Award for Fiction.
Her non-fiction works include The Writer’s Room, a collection of interviews with authors about the creative process, and Love & Hunger, a book about cooking. Her features and essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, Literary Hub, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Saturday Paper among other publications. In 2019 she was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant services to literature, and was named one of the Australian Financial Review's 100 Women of Influence.
Her latest project is a new podcast, The Writer's Room with Charlotte Wood, in which she interviews authors, critics and other artists about the creative process.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 28, 2019
I can't lie: I see Charlotte Wood's name, I want to read.
Like all short story collections, there will be some stories that really resonate with the individual reader, and some that won't. I enjoyed most of the stories, with "The Fat Girl in History" being the ultimate standout, and "Grief" and "Animals of the Savannah" also being up there.
Like all short story collections, there will be some stories that really resonate with the individual reader, and some that won't. I enjoyed most of the stories, with "The Fat Girl in History" being the ultimate standout, and "Grief" and "Animals of the Savannah" also being up there.
March 1, 2017
Without doubt the biggest letdown I've had in a book in a long time. The stories chosen are comparable to the paintings that you see in the Contemporary Art Museum which are initially mistaken for a 'coming soon' placeholder canvas until you realise that there is actually an inscription off to the side that explains the painting and it's importance in post-modernism and then you pretend to understand and eventually rave about.
The stories are mostly without plot, without a twist, without a point and at best are a laborious, confusing and self indulgent description of something, someone or sometime in someone's life that would be better put in a history book than a short story.
Is this really the best that Australia has to offer in a whole year? If so, the judges really need to get out of Australia more because if not, it would seem that the good writers certainly have... for good.
The stories are mostly without plot, without a twist, without a point and at best are a laborious, confusing and self indulgent description of something, someone or sometime in someone's life that would be better put in a history book than a short story.
Is this really the best that Australia has to offer in a whole year? If so, the judges really need to get out of Australia more because if not, it would seem that the good writers certainly have... for good.
February 19, 2018
Bit of a mixed bag, and the second half of this compilation was generally much better than the first.
Julie Koh's "The Fat Girl in History" was probably my favourite; the voice was totally unique amongst the rest of the collection. I laughed out loud more than once!
Elizabeth Tan's "Coca-Cola Birds Sing Sweetest in the Morning" was also brilliantly unique but this time in its content - I feel like compelling sci-fi/dystopian short stories are rare, and this is one.
Third place is Georgia Blain's "Far From Home" as the most grounded and 'real' of the lot.
For the most part I enjoyed the huge breadth of subject matter that the authors covered, even if some didn't really engage me. The best bit, though, was the Australian identity that was evident in every story.
Julie Koh's "The Fat Girl in History" was probably my favourite; the voice was totally unique amongst the rest of the collection. I laughed out loud more than once!
Elizabeth Tan's "Coca-Cola Birds Sing Sweetest in the Morning" was also brilliantly unique but this time in its content - I feel like compelling sci-fi/dystopian short stories are rare, and this is one.
Third place is Georgia Blain's "Far From Home" as the most grounded and 'real' of the lot.
For the most part I enjoyed the huge breadth of subject matter that the authors covered, even if some didn't really engage me. The best bit, though, was the Australian identity that was evident in every story.
February 7, 2018
For some reason this collection (eclectic as all such anthologies are) had more of a sense of coherence than the 2017 volume. Maybe because it was edited by Charlotte Wood who said she was consciously seeking stories where "the words do not merely tell, but are the story". Word choice is crucial in a short story, even more so than in the novel and when done well the words work to convey not just the meaning, but the subliminal meaning. Meanings however subtly conveyed though are important.
I don't agree with one reviewer who said in relation to some stories that the reader shouldn't worry too much about interpretation but just let the stories "wash over you". Regardless of the form, surely the reader's interpretation (whether consistent with the author's intention or not) is pivotal to the whole process of reading stories, otherwise why bother. Some standout stories for me were Fiona McFarlane's "Good News for Modern Man", Trevor Shearston's "A Step,A Stumbe" and Elizabeth Tan's "Coca-Cola Birds Sing Sweetest in the Morning".
I don't agree with one reviewer who said in relation to some stories that the reader shouldn't worry too much about interpretation but just let the stories "wash over you". Regardless of the form, surely the reader's interpretation (whether consistent with the author's intention or not) is pivotal to the whole process of reading stories, otherwise why bother. Some standout stories for me were Fiona McFarlane's "Good News for Modern Man", Trevor Shearston's "A Step,A Stumbe" and Elizabeth Tan's "Coca-Cola Birds Sing Sweetest in the Morning".
November 3, 2017
I did not enjoy this selection. I started all of them but finished only one. They were confusing, too long and not what I look for in a short story collection.
Unfortunately, a big disappointment, especially as I had just read award winning australian stories (2017)& was looking forward to more in the same vein.
Unfortunately, a big disappointment, especially as I had just read award winning australian stories (2017)& was looking forward to more in the same vein.
January 1, 2020
After reading The Weekend by #charlottewood, I decided to read her editorial collection of Australian short stories. A very mixed bag, almost like a bag of lollies where some go quickly and the remnants remain. I was not intrigued by each tale, but kept in mind that they would have all been chosen and selected for a particular reason and because of their interconnections with each other.
January 23, 2020
“Far From Home” was a favourite for me. I also enjoyed "Good News for Modern Man", "A Step, A Stumble", “The Fat Girl in History”, and "Coca-Cola Birds Sing Sweetest in the Morning".
I rate this anthology highly.
I rate this anthology highly.
November 13, 2017
None of the stories grabbed me.
December 5, 2017
Skipped a lot of stories in this selection.
April 16, 2018
More a series of vignettes rather than short stories. Some were good, but most were unsatisfying.
January 24, 2017
It was good. Some of the stories were a little hard to follow. My favourite one was the last one - Frida Boyelski’s Shiva by Abigail Ulman. Beautifully written!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews