




Who tells the story of a country? What story does a country’s national literature tell about its people and its identity? Is there such a thing as Australian literature at all? In the debut event of our Australian Literature 101 series, we begin to explore these questions through 1788: A Narrative of the Expedition to Botany Bay by Watkin Tench. Host Ramona Koval is joined by Wheeler Centre director Michael Williams.
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Well done for choosing Watkin Tench's book. I found the contemporary account of Australia's early European settlement fascinating. It is not a difficult book to read in the most recently published edition. I've recommended it widely to anyone who seemed remotely interested in the topic. It fires the imagination - to try and imagine Sydney as a virgin site. The description of the Aboriginal inhabitants was really interesting. The insight into their day to day lives and their way of living was so instructive. As much as I admire the efforts of Australia's historians to explore and understand our past, this first hand account must rank above them.
Judy Masters
07 May at 11:50AM