AUSTRALIA: GENERAL

“I love a sunburnt country, A land of sweeping plains, Of ragged mountain ranges, Of droughts and flooding plains.” ~Dorothea Mackellar, Core of My Heart

NONFICTION

The Fatal Shore, Robert Hughes, 1987 — The definitive chronicle of the country’s convict beginnings by one of the world’s most esteemed art critics, who grew up in Sydney.

In a Sunburned Country, Bill Bryson, 2000 — An irreverent overview of the country that is jam-packed with factual information and hilarious anecdotes.

The Road from Coorain: Recollections of a Harsh and Beautiful into Adulthood, Jill Ker Conway, 1992 — An incredible memoir about growing up in the outback, coming of age in Sydney of the 1950s and coming into her own as a historian and educator. Ker Conway ultimately became Smith College’s first female president.

The Songlines, Bruce Chatwin, 1987 — This brilliant meditation on why men wander and tell stories by one of the best travel writers of the 20th century illuminates much more than just the aboriginal culture.

Unreliable Memoirs, Clive James, 1981 — The prolific, award-winning Australian author’s acerbic memories of growing up in suburban Sydney.

FICTION

Bliss, Peter Carey, 1981 — A satiric and highly entertaining novel delves into a Sydney ad-exec’s spiritual crisis.

The Unknown Terrorist: A Novel, Richard Flanagan, 2007 — A page-turner about a Sydney pole-dancer whose one-night-stand puts her under suspicion for abetting a terrorist in the attempted bombing of Sydney’s Olympic stadium.

Lillian’s Story, Kate Grenville, 1986 — A poetic first novel that creates a fictional autobiography for Lil Sanger, a trouble Sydney homeless woman; the emotional survival story won the Austalian/Vogel award.

Sydney

“Most Sydney people seem immensely proud of their city, immensely proud to be its citizens, and this happy confidence is contagious; it makes the outsider, too, feel proud to be there.” ~Jan Morris

NONFICTION

Sydney, Jan Morris, 1992 — The author of numerous travel books, Morris gives a historical and social look at Australia’s largest city, founded in 1788 as a run-off for British convicts.

Thirty Days in Sydney, Peter Carey, 2001 — A slim and amusing volume by a native who muses on the modern metropolis.