Combining new and existing essays from some of the writers Debra Adelaide most admires, The Simple Act of Reading is a collection from some of Australia’s most revered writers including David Malouf, Delia Falconer, Malcolm Knox and Kate Forsyth.
Their beautiful and nostalgic essays reflect the turning points in their lives as readers. The essays reach out to booklovers and explore childhood reading experiences, the books that left an enduring mark and the writers who discovered their love of reading later in life.
Contributors include: Debra Adelaide, Joan London, Delia Falconer, Sunil Badami, Gabrielle Carey, Luke Davies, Tegan Bennett Daylight, Kate Forsyth, Giulia Giuffre, Andy Griffiths, Anita Heiss, Gail Jones, Jill Jones, Catherine Keenan, Malcolm Knox, Wayne Macauley, Fiona McFarlane, David Malouf, Rosie Scott, Carrie Tiffany and Geordie Williamson.
“For it is in the simple act of reading where the living and the dead, the real and the imagined, meet. It is in the simple act of reading where we exercise those two most sacred of human vocations: compassion and creativity. For as we know, without either of these primes there is no possibility for a humanity present or past worth talking about.” – Junot Diaz
Debra Adelaide teaches at UTS and has worked as a researcher, freelance editor and occasional book reviewer. Her novels include Hotel Albatross and The Household Guide to Dying. Her anthologies include Acts of Dog and Motherlove. Proceeds from The Simple Act of Reading will go to the Sydney Story Factory, which encourages writing by young people in numerous imaginative and creative ways.
The Simple Act of Reading is published by Random House Books Australia and is available from all leading book retailers.
Image: The Simple Act of Reading