49 stories ranging over 120 years. Stories reflect life in Australia from the early days of hardship to the recognition of a multicultural society and the new agendas for women's, gay and lesbian, and Aboriginal writing.

A comprehensive account of Australian literature from the first settlement in 1788 to the current day, this book represents the most important achievements in Australian poetry, drama, and fiction as well as non-fictional prose--journals, diaries, biographies, and autobiographies--and details the impact on the writing caused by those historical events that often serve as a work's theme. More than 3,000 informative entries cover subjects such as transportation, exploration, gold discoveries, bushranging, and outback ethos, all of which played a part in the development of the continent's literature as did the pervasive presence and influence of the Aboriginal culture. Entries range from lengthy articles on special topics to brief factual paragraphs explaining words or references. Also provided is information and reference sources on important past and contemporary writers as well as anything and everything that may have influenced their development: the growth of publishing and periodicals; the impact of movements such as nationalism, racialism, and feminism; and the contributions made by booksellers, critics, and literary associations. A major new Oxford Companion, this book makes an intriguing new genre of literature accessible to all readers.

This new literary history rethinks the landscapes of Australian literature in an engaging style and takes into account contemporary theories of literature and associated art forms.

Joy Hooton, an authority on Australian autobiography and co-author of The Oxford Companion to Australian Literature, has compiled an absorbing anthology of some of the finest autobiographical writings from the convict era to the present day. She illustrates the strengths of this literary form, which has loomed large in Australian writing since European settlement.