CMIS Evaluation Fiction Focus

Imagine Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman in the one room! This is as close as we are likely to get as Neil talks to Terry in this penetrating interview that honours the 25 years of Discworld and the 24-year friendship of the two. It does not shy away from talking about Terry’s recent diagnosis with Alzheimer’s disease, nor would Terry Pratchett want it to - his advocacy has created enormous media interest in the condition, and therefore public awareness. The good news is that he still has books to write.

Neil Gaiman was the guest on the Radio National’s Book Show yesterday. In conversation with Michael Sherrifs, he talks about graphic novels, his two-decade-long collaboration with Dave McKean and classic YA literature.

It is for online listening only, but the transcript is also available.

Speaking of books of a bygone era, the Fine Lines blog revisits some loved titles of the ’70s and ’80s with a more critical eye. The latest post is about Paul Zindel’s The Pigman, now an astonishing 39 years old! This weekly blog is worth a nostalgic visit.

Tim Winton’s latest novel Breath will be reviewed in Issue 2 of Fiction Focus shortly. Published only a few weeks ago, Breath is already receiving critical acclaim world-wide.

His earlier title Cloudstreet is often described as Australia’s most-loved novel and is still widely studied in classrooms around the country. Teachers and senior students will be interested in an extended interview with Tim Winton on The Monthly magazine’s Slow TV site. In two parts, each of 23 minutes duration, Winton is in conversation with journalist and writer Martin Flanagan where he discusses his work and the influences on his writing.

Sonya Hartnett received the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award from Crown Princess Victoria in Stockholm on Wednesday night. You might be interested in this interview with her on Radio Sweden, given shortly before the presentation.

Her Australian-ness shines through.

Isn’t it great to see how much success some of our YA authors are enjoying? We have already acknowledged Sonya Hartnett’s outstanding achievement earlier this month in winning the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, but some of our other stars are being published in Europe and North America to considerable acclaim.

Markus Zusak has created an international buzz with The Book Thief, which was a Printz Honor Book in 2006 and winner of a prestigious prize in South Africa last year.

This weekend, Markus featured in the regular ‘Why I write‘ column of the Guardian newspaper. Determined to become a writer from the age of 16, Markus offers insights which are worth sharing with any young aspiring writers you know.

The SBS television series, Inside Australia, features four teachers over coming weeks, commencing on Wednesday 6 February at 8pm. Included in the lineup is English teacher and YA author, Michael Parker (13 February) whose first novel Doppelganger was released last year and shortlisted for the Ethel Turner Prize for YA literature in the NSW Premier’s Awards. In the program, Michael talks about the wider reading scheme he has implemented to improve literacy rates among boys. By all accounts, Michael is a truly inspiring teacher. The website he has created for Doppelganger is enough to inspire any reluctant reader to dip into the novel. This sounds like a series worth watching.

Brian Selznick is receiving extensive media attention after receiving the Caldecott Medal for The Invention of Hugo Cabret. This interview in the New York Times gives some background to the writing of the work, and the film influences that permeate it.

We reviewed this title in Fiction Focus, Issue 2, 2007 and pointed to the accompanying website which includes a screening of the world’s first science fiction movie, A Trip to the Moon, made in 1909 by Georges Méliès. Take a look - it enriches the whole Cabret experience.