Paperbark: A Collection of Black Australian Writings

by Jack Davis (editor), Stephen Muecke (Editor), Mudrooroo (Editor)

Book by

Genres: Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction, Poetry

369 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1990

About the author

Jack Davis is better known as a poet and a playwright than as a writer of short stories. He has had four volumes of poems published and has written eight plays. His plays have toured both in Australia and overseas In 1991 his memoir, A Boy's Life, was published. He has been awarded several times for his contribution to the arts and for his welfare work among his own people.

Reviews

[Rhonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started seeking out First Nation writings a few years ago when I stumbled across a number of writers on a table with a sign saying Aborginals or something similar. The writers were Mudrooroo Narogin, biographies by Glenyse Ward and Sally Morgan, Boori (Monty) Pryor's 'Maybe Tomorrow', and a sci fi by Sam Watson and a whole new sense of Australia broke open inside when I read them - since then I have sought out First Nation writers in catalogues and bookshops, op shop shelves, libraries trying to make up for years of addict level reading that had included no FN authors. They were not as easy to find as non FN authors, Australian or non-Australian but the thing that shocked me in the end was that I hadn't noticed. Making up for it now. This book is a very, very good collection and one that is sitting by my bed to be read again, which is something I don't tend to do. The first time was part of the search for FN writers, but that conscious reason did not stop it from being engrossing in its own light. The second will be because I want to set the names and stories more firmly in my head. I am familiar with hundreds of non FN authors, I don't know FN authors as well but want to. There are many voices, academic, political, literary, personal and stretching over years. There is non FN presence, which I have mixed feelings about, and can only hope that the collection is not lacking something because of that. Its that hidden voice, overlaid by non FN involvement that is the danger, as it constantly is, both inside and outside the pages of FN writings. I think in the end people have to read it themselves to decide whose voice is coming out loudest. Its a good starting point.

[Christa King · Rating 4 out of 5]

A real mixture of writing, but a bit heartbreaking in places, because some of the stories bring home the fact that the injustice continues to the current day.

[Mandy Partridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

A terrific collection of Black Australian fiction. With an introduction by Oodgeroo Noonuccl, there are about 35 writers presented here. The works take the forms of poems, songs, short fiction, and excerpts from a musical play. When I studied 'Black Australian Literature', the subject was called that, because it included the works of Bobbi Sykes, who was an African American Australian writer. This collection includes the work of Mudrooroo Narogin, an Aboriginal Lit lecturer at the University of Queensland, who was exposed as being Sri Lankan, rather than a First Nations Australian. People were shocked at the time, but you could argue that all brown skinned Australians suffer from the same kind of racism, where-ever their ancestors come from. I was glad to see the inclusion of many women- Ruby Langford, Sally Morgan, Gloria Brehnan, Ellen Draper, Maree Thorne, Tracy Bunda, Lydia George, Leanne Hollingsworth. Many people, many styles, lots of humour, go UQ Press!

[Alasdair MacCaluim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book as an introduction to Australian aboriginal writing and wasn't disappointed. It has a great range of poetry, prose and drama from all over Australia, both contemporary and historical. This will appeal to the general reader with an interest in Aboriginal Australia as well as those with a deeper interest in literature. Highly recommended

[in8 · Rating 3 out of 5]

read in Australia in 1990: http://www.5cense.com/14/394.htm