The Oxford Companion to Australian Literature [Hardcover]

William H. Wilde (Author), Joy Hooton (Author), Barry Andrews (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2, 1995 | ISBN-10: 019553381X | ISBN-13: 978-0195533811 | Edition: 2

Unique in its field, exhaustive in scope, the Oxford Companion to Australian Literature offers a comprehensive account of Australian writing from European settlement in 1788 to the 1990s. It presents the most important achievements in the fields of fiction, poetry, and drama, and also covers non-fictional prose in journals, diaries, biographies, and autobiographies, and the impact of key historical events on Australian literature. Fully revised and updated, the second edition contains 500 new entries, bringing the total to 3050, reflects the greater influence and volume of women's and multicultural writing, and includes major new articles on crime fiction and the immigrant experience. Written in clear and accessible language, this major reference belongs on the shelf of every library and every lover of world literature.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for the first edition: "A superb reference work....A joy to read and use."--American Reference Books Annual

"Will be a standard reference work in the field of Australian literature for the next decade at least."--World Literature Today

"This is a useful, interesting, informative, reliable, time-saving, beautiful and, for many, indispensable book. Barry Andrews was one of the most knowledgeable and one of the funniest scholars in Australian literature."--The Age

"Another fine example of an Oxford Companion....It is difficult to surpass the scope and authority of this work. Academic and large public libraries that wish to have some reference tool on Australian literature should begin here."--Library Journal

"A very thorough and up-to-date source, particularly valuable for information on the current literary scene in Australia and indispensable for academic and public libraries."--Choice

About the Author

William Wilde is Emeritus Professor, and Joy Hooton Associate Professor at the Australian Defense Force Academy's Department of English, Canberra.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 848 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 2 edition (February 2, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 019553381X
• ISBN-13: 978-0195533811
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.5 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,526,593 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A VERY THOROUGH, FABULOUS BOOK January 27, 2009

By Anne Salazar

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

What a fabulous, comprehensive, informative book this is! I love Australian memoirs of early settlement as well as "Banjo" Paterson's humorous poetry, the novels of Patrick White, other classic Australian novels such as "Picnic at Hanging Rock", and just about everything I have ever read by Australians, about Australia. In my wildest dreams I never knew there was such a vast array of books, all of which, it seems, are listed and discussed in this book. Listings are alphabetical by authors and often by a particular book title itself. Research appears to be exhaustive and all-inclusive and unbiased. I love this book! But because of it, I will go broke buying Australian books and will have to live an extra hundred years or so in order to read all of them. With this book, I have neglected my reading and have found myself spending the better part of several evenings looking through this tome.

Also wonderful, and along the same line as this book, is "The Oxford Literary Guide to Australia". It is arranged differently, by location and then by townships, and includes hundreds of photos of authors and places. I am using the two books together for a thorough description of authors, books, places, etc. GREAT reading and such fun!