Goodbye Babylon: Further Journeys in Time and Politics

by Bob Ellis

Book by Ellis, Bob

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction

657 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2002

About the author

Robert James "Bob" Ellis (10 May 1942 – 3 April 2016[1]) was an Australian writer, journalist, filmmaker and political commentator. He was a student at the University of Sydney at the same time as other notable Australians including Clive James, Germaine Greer, Les Murray, John Bell, Ken Horler and Mungo McCallum. He lived in Sydney with the author and screenwriter Anne Brooksbank; they had three children.

Plays

The Legend of King O'Malley (1970) with Michael Boddy
Big Brother Dragon (1971) with Michael Boddy
Duke of Edinburgh Assassinated or The Vindication of Henry Parkes (1971) with Dick Hall
The Francis James Dossier (1973) – later The James Dossier (1975) – musical about Francis James
Whitlam Days (1975)
Down Under (1976) with Anne Brooksbank
A Very Good Year (1980)
Man, the musical (1990s) book and lyrics with Denny Lawrence, music by Chris Neal
A Local Man: A Play about Ben Chifley (2004) with Robin McLachlan
Shakespeare in Italy (2012) with Denny Lawrence
Intimate Strangers (unproduced) with Denny Lawrence

Screenplays

Newsfront (1978) with Anne Brooksbank
Fatty Finn (1980)
Maybe This Time (1980) with Anne Brooksbank
Goodbye Paradise (1983) with Denny Lawrence
Man of Flowers (1983) with Paul Cox
The Winds of Jarrah (1983)
My First Wife (1984) with Paul Cox
Unfinished Business (1985) – also directed
Top Kid (1985) (TV) with John Hepworth
The Paper Boy (1985) (TV) with John Hepworth
Cactus (1986) with Paul Cox
The Gilles Republic (1986) (TV)
Bullseye (1987)
Perhaps Love (1987) (TV)
True Believers (1988) (TV)
Warm Nights on a Slow Moving Train (1988) – also directed
Gilles and Company (1992) (TV)
Dreaming of Lords (1993) with Ernie Dingo – also directed
The Nostradamus Kid (1993) – also directed
Ebbtide (1994)
Wildside (1998) Episode 24
Bastards from the Bush, A Journey with Bob Ellis and Les Murray (1998) – documentary
Infamous Victory: Ben Chifley's Battle for Coal (2008) – documentary

Novels

Mad Dog Morgan (1976) – novelisation of film with Anne Brooksbank
Fatty Finn (1980) – based on his film script
Top Kid (1985) – novelisation with John Hepworth of his script
The Paper Boy (1985) -novelisation with John Hepworth of his script
The Hewson tapes : a secret history, perhaps, of our times (1993) – fictionalised diary of John Hewson
The Season (1996) – with Roy Masters

Non-fiction

The Things We Did Last Summer: An Election Journal – account of the Australian federal election, 1983
Two weeks in another country : a journal of the 1983 British election – account of the United Kingdom general election, 1983
Letters to the Future (1987) – collection of writings from 1969–87
The Inessential Ellis (1992) – collection of writings
Goodbye Jerusalem : night thoughts of a Labor outsider (1997) – writings centred on the history of the Australian Labor Party up to the Australian federal election, 1996
First abolish the customer: 202 arguments against economic rationalism (1998)
So it goes : essays, broadcasts, speeches 1987–1999 (1999)
Goodbye Babylon : further journeys in time and politics (2002)
Night thoughts in time of war (2004)
And so it went: night thoughts in a year of change (2009) – events around the Australian federal election, 2007
The capitalism delusion : how global economics wrecked everything and what to do about it (2009)
One hundred days of summer : how we got to where we are (2010)
Suddenly, last winter : an election diary (2010) – diary of the Australian federal election, 2010

Acting

I Own the Racecourse (1985) – film
The Human Behan (1995–96) – play
Waiting for Godot (2000) – play

Reviews

[Hunter Trumble · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting and informative read filled with good humour and insight. Bob Ellis is no doubt a significant figure in Australian politics, and his contributions to it have and will always be important to how we interpret all that occurs in our political system and history, especially in elections.

I did struggle with this book however. It is very distorted, as its stories overlap and bounce around throughout, with little coherence between the books’ chapters. Although it’s one entire book, it’s actually a combination of 8 smaller books, none of which are really distinct from one another. On that note, it is quite repetitive, and far too centric. I understand this book specifically covers the 1997-2002 era of Australia’s millennium, but it lacked depth and didn’t go far beyond what appeared on a political hack’s surface, simply because of reiteration.

On a positive note, however, the satirical attacks and poetry intertwined throughout the book was enjoyable and relevant, despite, like I mentioned, the struggle of coherence.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the way Bob Ellis writes.

[Malcolm Frawley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although he goes on, and on, Ellis provides an interesting, backstage, angle on the political process.