A Country Too Far (ed by Thomas Keneally & Rosie Scott, Viking)

Featuring poetry, fiction, essays and opinion pieces, this themed anthology about the plight of asylum seekers consists of 29 deeply personal contributions from some of Australia’s most admired writers and thinkers. Inspired by the ‘public debate’ about asylum seekers in Australia, the aim of this collection was to strip away the myths and clichés and focus on the people at the heart of the matter—‘deeply traumatised refugees who have lost their countries, homes and families through disasters of every kind’. While by no means an easy subject to read or write about, the result is a treat for readers who are given access to a wide range of voices and approaches, including poetry from Dorothy Hewett, John Tranter, Les Murray, Judith Rodriguez, Judith Wright and Ouyany Yu; fiction from Christos Tsiolkas, Debra Adelaide, Gail Jones and Rodney Hall; and other pieces from Rosie Scott, Denise Leith, Thomas Keneally, Kim Scott and Arnold Zable. I wish I could mention everyone. This is highly recommended, particularly for those who enjoyed Affirm Press’ expat anthology Joyful Strains.

Paula Grunseit is a freelance journalist, editor and reviewer

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Category: Reviews