THIS book is for literary lovers and readers with an interest in writers who have lived in Melbourne and written about the city and beyond.
But Literary Melbourne is not a city-centric book at all, with several of the authors featured coming from rural and regional Victoria.
- Literary Melbourne: A Celebration of Writing and Ideas, edited by Stephen Grimwade. Hardie Grant Books, rrp $24.95
There are many descriptions of the bush and the places that were pristine before the urban sprawl claimed them as suburbs.
The voices here speak with a kind of respect and acknowledgment that Melbourne is unique.
Whether it is the seamless prose of Arnold Zable reflecting on St Kilda's cafes, or Melbourne playwright Hannie Rayson's feisty plays, the creative engine room is Melbourne.
While the book is literary, this is only part of its value.
Besides the extracts and poems, impressions and reflections, there are many evocative photographs of places and portraits and brief biographies of writers.
It is very gratifying to see a one time rural favourite, John Shaw Nielson, given appropriate attention here, not to mention Alan Marshall's iconic I Can Jump Puddles. So too another historically major player in Melbourne's early literary growth is Nettie Palmer.
Wherever readers open this book, there is something surprising and delightful. There are gems, such as Bruce Dawe's footy poem: Life Cycle for Big Jim Phelan.
The material comes from the archives of the State Library of Victoria and follows Melbourne's recent crowning as a UNESCO City of Literature.
