Beginning with an extended essay that explores the elements of a story and the ways they may be articulated, this collection also comprises a number of pieces in which I have engaged with the same ideas over the last few years. There are two papers delivered at Departmental seminars as my thinking on this subject developed, two studies circulated among interested friends and colleagues, a number of notes mostly published online, and a theoretical investigation of the links between the categories of narrative and other ways in which collocational and lexical meaning has been parsed. Thanks to all those who … Continue reading The Shape of Stories

The life of William Morris – poet, designer, socialist visionary – and the music of Björk – Icelandic chanteuse extraordinaire: are these the materials for a modern opera? The Inner West Creative Mime Atelier think so. As their project unfolds to the dream-like tempo of a Sydney summer, it intersects the lives of the narrator, his grandchild, his daughter Gracie and her intended spouse. His wife’s absence meanwhile gives the narrator time to ponder the theory of narrative, the roles that life calls on us to play, and the disturbing fascination of the ensemble’s young choreographer. Alex Jones, after a … Continue reading Morris in Iceland

A young man trying to come to terms with something – but what, exactly, is at issue here? Do the answers lie in the 5th century, or is that just a way of escaping 21st century realities? Set against a background of Brexit, not to mention the COVID-19 pandemic, the story moves between present day Sydney and a virtual realm featuring a young woman who is clearly a metaphor for something. Meanwhile, the real world marches on. Will the virtual hero achieve his quest before his wife comes out of quarantine? And what of the dog Stuffy? Now read on … Continue reading Leaving Europe

Dennis Oldham thought he understood the transaction between art and life—until life began to imitate the most unsettling kind of art. A respected art critic and sculptor, Dennis navigates the interconnected worlds of Sydney’s galleries, a mysterious residency at an American college, and the complex relationships that define him. When a chance encounter with a woman selling raffle tickets leads to an unexpected prize—a family holiday with his neighbor Kate and her teenage daughter—Dennis finds himself drawn into something far more enigmatic than a simple getaway. From the claustrophobic corridors of Goldsworth College to a remote retreat run by the … Continue reading KU

An improvisation on a number of themes by Helen Garner, on one level this book is a study of literary semiotics and linguistic meaning. More importantly, perhaps, it’s a careful picture of what it was like to be in Sydney and living the life of the mind during the Big Brother season of 2005. “Almost absurdist, definitely brilliant … A delight to read.” Kerryn Goldsworthy, Sydney Morning Herald “Fantastic cock and bull story … Part novel, part fantasy autobiography, part metaphysical fugue in the spirit of Lewis Carroll.” Geordie Williamson, The Australian “A farcical and slyly illuminating celebration of domesticity … Continue reading Helen Garner and the Meaning of Everything

At Cedar Flat, somewhere on the North Coast of New South Wales, Murray Reynolds, an engineer turned day trader, is renting a lodge in a failed eco-tourism development. His wife Julia, unwilling to abandon her career in the city, encourages Murray to take responsibility for their daughter Pim, a withdrawn teenager with few life skills. The two are befriended by their neighbour Laura, to whom Pim looks for support in the face of the unsettling environment of their new home and her own lack of practical knowledge. Seeking to discover why the development never succeeded, Murray hears conflicting tales of … Continue reading Cedar Flat

In 1999 I had the exceptional good fortune to first meet Alex and Libby Jones, whose youngest son Anthony was a few years ahead of me at my impending high school, The Scots College, in Sydney, Australia. This was the era just before cell phones and ubiquitous laptops. Alex and Libby were cool. They also knew my parents from their time at Sydney University. It has continued to be my good fortune to prolong my association with them over the years, two unbelievably smart and generous people who continue to radiate extraordinary joie de vivre. Even though I have lived … Continue reading Introduction…