The Australian Academy of the Humanities

An investment in the future of Australian literature

A great deal of Australian literature is out of print and therefore out of reach of today’s Australians. The Macquarie PEN Australian Literature Anthology is an essential step in restoring this part of Australian culture, thus enhancing our dialogue with ourselves and our projection of ourselves internationally. The anthology aims to present Australian writing in a format comparable to the definitive Norton Anthology of American Literature: perhaps 1500 pages of selections, classroom-tested, in authoritative texts with lucid and helpful contextual material. The anthology will encompass the variety of non-fiction prose (journals, letters, essays, life writing, history writing, environmental writing) and translation from non-English languages, alongside poetry, fiction, drama and screenplay, with a strong focus on the period from 1950-2000. Material from Indigenous tradition and Indigenous writing will be an important presence throughout.

The project will be carried out by an editorial team that embodies the best current scholarly, educational and publishing practice. Content is intended to be presented in different forms for different needs, including electronically, and continually revised and adapted. International students and Australian Studies courses will be a major market. Publication is envisaged in 2008 with an estimated budget of $1.5million (with world permission costs for copyright material a major factor). The Macquarie PEN Australian Literature Anthology is an ambitious undertaking in the national interest with exciting and significant long-term outcomes.

For further information about this exciting new project, please contact the Secretariat.