Behind the Text: Candid conversations with Australian creative nonfiction writers

by Sue Joseph

Behind the Text is a celebration of the often forgotten genre of creative nonfiction. Paired with Joseph’s rich descriptions of person and place, this collection of candid interviews brings together some of the best Australian authors, covering everything from traumatic wartime journalism and burning national issues to Middle Eastern spices. In this definitive work, eleven influential authors explore their writing process, ethical dilemmas and connection to the capacious genre. As the first collection of its kind, this work brings Australian creative nonfiction into the literary spotlight.

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[Abbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an enjoyable read. I have to confess to not knowing many of the subjects of this book in advance (beyond recognisable names), but I enjoyed the interviews and discussions of their works so much that I am motivated to seek them out now. The style is so immersive that I only read one chapter at a time, to savour the experience, but I looked forward to each new dive into a writer's world. Highly recommended for anyone interested in Australian journalism, discussion around the genre of creative nonfiction, or even just Australian writing/writers.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Over breakfast this morning The Spouse and I were engaging in some mild rivalry by comparing the stats on our respective blogs, and I noted that there are always dips at certain times of the year, the pre-Christmas month being one because everyone is too busy with EOY stuff to have time for reading blogs. We could both expect a dip in page views, I said, (though I like to think that my loyal readers will still be around. I will certainly still be reading my favourite blogs even if the Christmas cards get sent out late because of it!)

The imminence of December is why I am bringing to your attention a book I have only half-read…

Behind the Text: Candid conversations with Australian creative nonfiction writers could be the perfect Christmas present for readers of all kinds, and possibly even non-readers too. It is published by one of Melbourne’s small indie publishers (who recently published the joint winner of the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards History Prize Let My People Go, the untold story of Australia and the Soviet Jews 1959-1989 by Sam Lipski and Suzanne D. Rutland) but despite this prestigious honour I am not surprised that Behind the Text doesn’t seem to have caught the attention of old media reviewers yet because they are not very good at knowing about the gems that can be found among the books published by small indie publishers, IMHO.

Anyway, have your credit card ready, you will almost certainly know someone who is going to love unwrapping this book on Xmas Day…

I have been reading an interview each day over breakfast and had read the interview with Paul McGeough (which is riveting); the one with Doris Pilkington Garimara (which is poignant); and I skipped the one with David Leser (because I’d never heard of him). (Perhaps I should be embarrassed about this but I’m not. He writes for newspapers I don’t read and (apparently) biographies of people I’m not interested in. I will come back to him later when I have read the others because now I’m sure that Sue Joseph can make him interesting).

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2016/11/20/b...

[Lee Kofman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really excited by the sound of this book, as creative nonfiction as a genre, and particularly in Australia, is something I also champion as a writer, editor, speaker, so I rushed to order this book as soon as I heard of it. I loved the introduction and the writing style itself was quite good, although sometimes the descriptions of external world felt more like reportage than emotionally charged writing. The interviews were in depth, but focused too much on 'issues' or personal stories and not enough on the writing genre in question and writing process. My main disappointment though was with the choice of interviewees - literary journalism was over-represented while such interesting genres as immersion writing or hybrid works or essays were barely mentioned. Some writers, like Greg and Lucy Malouf were too pedestrian to my taste to even discuss. My favorite - and wonderful! - interviews were with Kate Holden and David Leser. On the balance, it's an interesting read and a good start of discussing creative nonfiction more systematically in Australia. I hope more books will follow.

[Emily Mead]

This is a really interesting look at creative non-fiction, which becomes a story in itself.