Oz lit: Search & Destroy

If you like fluffy contemporary fiction for twentysomethings then you can't go past Nick Earls. Zig Zag Street is hardly classic literature but it's still one of my favourite books ever.

if you like fluffy wise-crackin' crime fiction, read some shane maloney books. they're very melbourne-centric, and it's possible that nearly all of the pleasures therein are a direct result of these local references... still, i had a great time reading them.

i'ma stick up for peter carey... i really like some of his writing - oscar and lucinda is great and i liked the kelly book too... what was it about it that you found so pretentious?

I thought 'The True History of the Kelly Family' was great. I wish he'd put the bucket on his head a bit sooner, that's all.

Carey's "The Unusual Life of Tristan Smith" remains one of my favourites, largely coz it's just plain weird.

'Loaded' by Christos Tsiolkas

I really liked the Kelly book. I liked it more than Tristan Smith. I think Bliss is my favourite by him but I thought Oscar and Lucinda was great when I was reading it, I just can't remember it very well as I've only read it once.

The last Australian book I read was called "White Ute Dreaming" by Scot Gardner. I love teenage books.

Okay, I'm giving away my career (hah! what career?) in children's TV here, but my favourite Australian writer is the supremely talented, funny Morris Gleitzman. I had to read a couple of his books for work reasons, and as soon as I'd finished I tracked down further titles cos I enjoyed them so much.

The age range is probably about 9-14, but if you're unembarrassed about/actually quite like very well written kids' stuff, there are few better in the whole world.

The greatest ever Australian writer, for me, is Patrick White. I really think he belongs somewhere alongside Faulkner. My second favourite would be Christina Stead, an odd and strong and interesting writer. Peter Carey is good too, though I thought Ned Kelly probably his least rich.

I thought Margaret Atwood was canadian? but you are all making some subtle point about colonial writers or something that I have missed?

I think that Thea Astley is a good australian writer, there's one called Reaching Tin River. I quite like Helen Garner too and there's a novel called the Tax Inspector that I read recently and enjoyed but cvan't remember the author sorry.

Umm...Ruth Park but that's more for young adult or teenage readers and although some grownups like her anyway others get really pissed off with that kind of writing. Same but more so is Robin Klein.

There's always the Thornbirds...

Isn't Ruth Park a Kiwi? Or am I wildly mistaken?

I think she moved. The Harp in the South and the other one were written in Australia

is justine ettler any good? haha, "grunge fiction", wtf?

Is Luke Davies Australian?

I picked up his Candy (about heroin addicts in Australia), but haven't gotten around to reading it.

I'm a big fan of Elizabeth Jolley. And, less fashionably, Christina Stead.

only australian book i have is John Birmingham's He Died With A Felafel In His Hand, a bunch of true stories about his house sharing exploits, largely in Melbourne.

was made into a great little film featuring lots of nick cave on the soundtrack. main character looked a bit like the old goth himself too.

oh, and Oscar and Lucinda

andy