Fire Flood and Plague: Australian writers respond to 2020

by Sophie Cunningham

Writers, scientists, historians, journalists and commentators consider subjects as broad as culture and the arts, working as a doctor, travel, domestic violence, security, immigration, the death of a loved one, geopolitics, distance and zoom to ensure we never forget the experience of this pile-on of a year.

Including original pieces from Lenore Taylor, Nyadol Nuon, Christos Tsiolkas, Melissa Lucashenko, Billy Griffiths, Jess Hill, Kim Scott, Brenda Walker, Jane Rawson, Omar Sakr, Richard McGregor, Jennifer Mills, Gabrielle Chan, John Birmingham, Tim Flannery, Rebecca Giggs, Kate Cole-Adams, George Megalogenis, James Bradley, Alison Croggan, Melanie Cheng, Kirsten Tranter, Tom Griffiths, Joelle Gergis and Delia Falconer.

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook, Environment, Politics, Essays, Climate Change, Anthologies

219 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 1, 2020

About the author

Sophie Cunningham is the author of six books including City of Trees: Essays on Life, Death and the Need for a Forest (Text, 2020). She is also the editor of the collection Fire, Flood, Plague: Australian writers respond to 2020 (Vintage, 2020).

Reviews

[Ella Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s crazy to think that 2020 was almost two years ago.

Reading this book was a scary reminder how fucked up that year was and how measures to protect Earth are beyond urgent. It’s unfathomable to me that Australia had the worst air quality in the world on multiple occasions and our Prime Minister almost didn’t rock up to the Glasgow Climate Change Summit.

Additionally, I remember Scott Morrison giving his address in response to Covid’s introduction to Australia and breaking down when he said lockdown measures would be the ‘new norm’ and international travel would not likely resume until 2022. Now I just wonder when I’ll be able to return to my own home state and see my parents for the first time in a year.

I loved how every writer processed the year differently. This format was good for my sanity. It offered validation and solace in what feels like a very lonely experience.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short story collection which, by nature of the genre, ebbs and flows in interest.

The most arresting reads included Joëlle Gergis, Jane Rawson and Tim Flannery, whose essays are sharp sirens summoning the visceral fear and vast, uncomprehending uneasiness of runaway climate change; James Clade and Christos Tsiolkas, with quietly reverent reflections on family and fatality; and Melanie Cheng, who speaks the ordinary honesty of a doctor facing the frontline.

[Maz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yep. 2020 sure did happen.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

26 essays by novelists, poets, historians, climate scientists, conservationists, Medical doctors, journalists and more reflect on the year mid 2019 to mid 2020 and how each of these major events in Australia and around the world are clear indicators of the climate emergency that we are now facing and how it affected each of them personally and what can be done to address it. Two of the contributors plus Ms Cunningham were on a panel with another author of a book also out on these issues at Writer's Week with a passionate discussion. I wanted to get more information and did so from this book. John Cunningham, a political commentator, has succinct language when he wrote in April 2020: "Racism, selfishness and moments of mad panic flared up here and there, and often all at once in the toilet paper aisle at the local supermarket....of course we have moved on from that. Politics in particular abhors a vacuum and has rushed back into the space cleared by COVID-19. That's not completely unreasonable. In the US, which lurches closer to catastrophic failure every hour the tangerine Chimpenfuhrer sits on the throne, only politics can save them from something much worse. Here, the working truce between state and federal governments and the major parties must inevitably fracture when we return to the forever question of who is going to pay for everything. (Spoiler, it won't be the rich.)" And we are already seeing this starting to play out in the budget announcements. Jane Rawson states we need to be brave and not slip back into our comfortable life as it was before these events took centre stage. And Jess Hill, who really nails it, writing: "But there is no running away from it. 'It' won't ever be over, because 'it' is not just one thing. It is not the catastrophic fires of last summer (or the ones yet to come), it is not climate change, it is not racism and police brutality, it is not the ongoing epidemic of domestic abuse and sexual assault, it is not Trump or Brexit or Bolsonaro, and it is not the coronavirus - though all are emblematic of the mess we're in. None of them are 'It' - they are all branches from the same diseased tree and the real problem is in the roots....dating back 12,000 years....a dominant culture with power-over and control." These essays on the whole give a great overview of what the past year means with suggestions on how to address the root causes.

[Brenda Greene · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of short stories by 25 or more Australian writers reflecting on 2020, the year of mega fires, flood and the Covid 19 pandemic. An easy read showcasing different perspectives of the same events. It's interesting how our role/experiences shape our views. Most of the stories read as of diaries or opinion pieces aired on the news. The disappointment in the Scott Morrison government in failing to address climate change, which is the underlying cause of unprecedented mega fires, the initial shock of lockdowns to which the Government acted swiftly and impacts on the poor, embedding more deeply historical injustice. A few stories (and the better ones I have to say) provide a more reflective or overarching perspective. How environmental drivers impact most on our social needs, yet we mostly give the latter greater priority, how in the face of adversity good and better things can drive social change at a small scale and Herculean effort at first, how life is the music of a piano. Covid19 and fear dominate as the vaccine is yet to become available, and given the subtitle I expected and would have liked to have read more about the floods and fires. Since much of what was written has already been said in the media, the book captured this well, and will serve as a good reminder of the impacts of small, long term changes in human behaviour that can make large, long term global change.

[Jenny Esots · Rating 5 out of 5]

There has been a plethora of analysis and input on the infamous year that was - 2020.
This anthology of reflections tackles the experiences and trauma of the times.
There are recollections of harsh realities, isolation, and frozen grief. The are learnings and pleas for action. There is immense pain as the bushfires took hold and then we were engulfed in floods and the onslaught of COVID19. Through these essays there is a flow of experiences that is personal and communal - we share this sense of loss, so many losses.
The writing is clear, well thought out and very readable.
The mark of great anthology is it opens up new possibilities, in thinking, in questions, and in encouraging others to voice their experiences.
The other mark of a great anthology is it points the way to new writers, and there are lots here that are now on my reading list that I will deplore in the future, particularly Rebecca Giggs and James Bradley.

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

How did I miss this book? I accidentally found the audiobook on my library app last week.

A fantastic collection of 25 essays about the misery that was 2020. The fires that burned much of south eastern Australia during the hellish summer of 2019-2020. And then the virus that emerged that same summer, to wreak havoc around the world in 2020, and that is still doing it now.

An estimated 3 billion animals died that summer. An estimated 7.5 million have died from COVID in the time since. I had forgotten a lot of things even though I obviously lived through both of these events. I had somehow forgotten the floods of 2020, there have been so many more, and so many worse since. Most of the book is about fire and plague too.

Only two of the essays didn't really resonate with me. The two most overtly political/economic ones.

I'll be buying a physical copy of this book.

[Kerryn Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting collection of essays from a selection of Australian writers. Being 2023 it was interesting to read what their thoughts and experiences were in that moment of time. It was interesting because I have since travelled through many of those areas that were hit hard with fires and floods. It was interesting and thought provoking because I think some of the things they talked about we have learnt from but many things have returned to preCOVID, and not for the better. I enjoyed the variety of perspectives and the diverse backgrounds of the writers. One things for sure though, 2020 was a sucky year.

[Tamzen · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some interesting essays here - the ones by Melanie Cheng, Melissa Lucashenko, and Christos Tsiolkas stick in my mind. The others are fine but maybe it's too soon to really get the most out of this collection; once my own memory of 2020 fades, perhaps I'd appreciate it more. In many cases, the authors had much the same experience I did, and so there wasn't much 'new'. I guess that's why I appreciated the very different perspective of the three authors above.

[Amy Heap · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought-provoking, and often moving essays on the horrors of 2020 in Australia and beyond. I especially enjoyed, and related to, James Bradley's chapter about the loss of his mother. It did occasionally feel a little early to be writing about it (2020 wasn't even finished yet) and it was a touch repetitive, as one would expect, but I did enjoy the different perspectives, experiences, and points of view.

[Anne Fenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is every good Australian writer you know, penning an essay reflecting on events from 2019 on, bushfires and covid in particular. Mostly quite personal in nature, there’s a nice range in style and approach, revealing about both the writer and the events. My only query was the number of writers - I was getting less affected by the end.

[Frankie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s always hard to rate a compilation, but there wasn’t an essay I disliked. The editing and arrangement of essays was so well thought out, with adjacent essays responding to and in conversation with one another. Some repetition was inevitable, but I doubt it could have been better, unless some silenced voices were heard. Listened as an audiobook, but I will get a copy.

[Debbie]

Interesting exploration of so many aspects of 2020 and the impacts of Australia's bushfires, floods and the pandemic. Honestly, a book I think any Australian would benefit from reading, especially if they have an interest in climate change/action.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good collection. Some of Australia's best writers. Some of the reflections on early 2020 felt a bit dated, as the pandemic has evolved so much since then. The discussions on the fires still felt very raw and relevant.

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A disappointing collection. So many seemed identical which is a poor choice of contributors. There were 3 or 4 excellent essays but they were vastly outnumbered by the mediocre contributions.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grim

[Susan Belperio · Rating 4 out of 5]

A disparate collection on short stories looking at this triple whammy that hit our nation in 2020. An excellent coverage of these issues from so many different angles. Highly recommended read covering this most surreal period of our nation's history. It's fascinating as to how different authors can convey the same events in such varying terms. A valuable history lesson for all.

[Asavari · Rating 4 out of 5]

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