A rare snapshot of a literary culture thinking aloud: authors discussing process, influence and intention before allowing the fiction to speak for itself.
Published at a moment when Australian literature was shedding the lingering expectation that it explain or mythologise the nation, Personal Best 2 brings together thirty-five writers reflecting on their own work before presenting a single story. Read together, the pieces form an informal map of Australian writing at the beginning of the 1990s, revealing an extraordinary range of styles, preoccupations and regional voices.
The list of contributors is remarkable. Peter Carey, Bruce Pascoe, Marion Halligan, Kris Hemensley, Peter Corris, Vasso Kalamaras, Damian Broderick, Ania Walwicz, Brian Dibble and many others appear alongside writers who deserve far wider recognition today. The accompanying statements are often as compelling as the stories themselves, offering concise reflections on craft, memory, politics and the strange business of making fiction. Rather than retrospective essays, they feel immediate and provisional, capturing writers mid-career before later reputations had settled.
An engaging document of Australian literary history, and a rewarding collection for readers interested in contemporary fiction, creative practice, or the diverse landscape of Australian writing beyond the familiar canon.
First edition, first printing. Angus & Robertson / Imprint, 1991. Paperback, edited by Garry Disher. Very good condition. Clean, bright copy with only light shelf wear to the covers. Binding firm and pages crisp throughout.
