The scent of childhood

It's curiously entertaining that the enduring image of Australia held by folk from other places is usually of a land of odd or deadly animals, a fireworks-friendly bridge, an iconic opera house, a rather large reef and a big red rock in the middle of a desert.

Of course, those of us who live here know it is much more than that. We also know that most of the population lives in sprawling urban landscapes clustered around the coastline, and that it would actually be a very unusual event if we looked out the window and saw kangaroos hopping down the street. The lights of the MCG - yes. Kangaroos - not so much.

Despite the fact we are drawn to large cities, a goodly number of us did grow up in small country or coastal towns,* and only later migrated to the big smoke - in pursuit of education, and employment, and eating emporiums that are open after eight o'clock. So while we are enamoured of the bright lights, big city and its hole-in-the-wall bars and fine dining establishments, for many of us there is a little part of our heart that pings when we read a book set in the rural landscape of our childhood.

And, as we've mentioned before, we're looking at you: Snake, by Kate Jennings. How delighted are we to discover that the good folk at Black Inc. have re-released this brilliant novella. Extremely. Delighted.

So here's to books that ring true with the colours and sights and sounds of the country, its calm and its cacophony, its far horizons and casual claustrophobia, its dusty paddocks and high haystacks, its flood-prone plains and tracts of eucalypts, and the full moon, bright and blazing orange as it edges up over the horizon.

Here's to books that ring true with the scent of childhood.

* Where kangaroos were not necessarily an unusual sight, but a koala-sighting - now that was something to write home about.

Talkin' bout your generation*

Sophie Cunningham over at the Meanjin blog has a short yet thought-provoking post highlighting the way the media often attack young people, just because they are, well, not as aged. She's talking about the mockery in the media aimed at 20-somethings holding important and powerful positions, but it's just as common to find newspapers scolding the 'yoof' of today - who sponge off their parents, beat people up, lack loyalty, read improperly, or have loose morals of one kind or another.

The Gen Y scorn seems to be out of hand. Sing it with me: unfocussed, selfish, flighty, irresponsible, tech-obsessed and above all else ADDICTED TO SOCIAL NETWORKING. OH MY STARS, THE WORLD IS COMING TO AN END. If a day goes by without the BIG paper publishing an article about Twitter I will fall through the floor in surprise. If they publish a POSITIVE article about Twitter, I will fall through the roof!

And who is doling out the derision? One can only assume it's the youth of yesterday, who weren't very impressed when it was done to them. (Stick it to the man, man.)

In our experience, it's not just the young people themselves who cop it. I doubt whether there is a person in the House of Onion working on books for young people who has not been asked by some well-meaning friend or family member when they are going to be promoted to work on adult books. As if there is something inherently better, more meaningful, more important and more fulfilling about working on books for adults. To which we say...

GNNNARRRRRRR

While we are wailing and gnashing our teeth, perhaps you could read Kirsty Murray's musing on this topic from the point of view of the author. Her post is thoughtful, erudite and funny - probably because she lives in a house full of the YOUTH OF TODAY.

* sadly, this post contains no traces of Shaun Micallef

Parallel Importation

We wrote and erased many paragraphs trying to come up with a short clear summary of this complex issue: what it is, what it isn't, and what it means to the Australian publishing industry.

And then we realised that the MOST ARTICULATE PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY had already done it for us.

The Productivity Commission asked for submissions relating to 'a range of issues in regard to the parallel importation of books'. And boy did they receive them - 269 at last count.

Many A&U authors and illustrators have made clear, cogent, interesting and passionate submissions: Garth Nix, Penni Russon, Christobel Mattingley, Shaun Tan, Garry Disher, Wendy Orr, Libby Gleeson, Steven Herrick, Terry Denton, Barry Jonsberg, Elise Hurst, Nadia Wheatley, Ron Brooks and Anna Ciddor. Not to mention our own PAG.

Allen & Unwin's position is this:

'The certainty provided by the Copyright Act, coupled with the incentive to operate efficiently embedded in the 1991 parallel importation provisions, have led to a situation where benefits are derived for consumers, authors, booksellers, printers and publishers. As well as this Australia derives a cultural benefit from the publication of close to 14 000 Australian authored books every year - books that help Australians understand themselves and their country better.'

You can read our full submission here.

There are also submissions from lots of other publishers and authors, as well as booksellers, printers, librarians, designers, illustrators, typesetters and agents - around 95 per cent of which are against scrapping the copyright protection to allow parallel importation.

Tim Winton's submission is a fascinating history of publishing in Australia. Frank Moorhouse almost had us cheering by the last paragraph. Tom Keneally, Kate Grenville, Nick Earls, Tim Flannery, Sonya Hartnett, Peter Carey - pick your favourite author and see what they have to say on the subject.

A draft report will be released in March, and the Commission is to present its findings to the Australian Government in May 2009. Until then, an entire industry holds its breath.