''Purple Threads'' is a 2011
short story collection
A short story collection is a book of short stories and/or novellas by a single author. A short story collection is distinguished from an anthology of fiction, which would contain work by several authors (e.g., ''Les Soirées de Médan''). The s ...
by Jeanine Leane. Based on Leane's childhood, the stories are about Sunny, a
Wiradjuri
The Wiradjuri people (; ) are a group of Aboriginal Australian people from central New South Wales, united by common descent through kinship and shared traditions. They survived as skilled hunter-fisher-gatherers, in family groups or clans, a ...
girl, growing up in the
Gundagai
Gundagai is a town in New South Wales, Australia. Although a small town, Gundagai is a popular topic for writers and has become a representative icon of a typical Australian country town. Located along the Murrumbidgee River and Muniong, Hon ...
district during the 1960s and 1970s.
Contents
* Women and Dogs in a Working Man's Paradise;
* God's flock;
* Waiting for Petal;
* Lilies of the Field;
* Coming Home;
* Marching with Hannibal;
* Purple Threads;
* Lying Dogs;
* Land Grab;
* The National Sheep Dip Alliance Party;
* Epilogue - Country Turns.
Reception
Anita Heiss
Anita Marianne Heiss (born 1968) is an Aboriginal Australian author, poet, cultural activist and social commentator. She is an advocate for Indigenous Australian literature and literacy, through her writing for adults and children and her mem ...
, writing in ''
Meanjin
''Meanjin'' (), formerly ''Meanjin Papers'' and ''Meanjin Quarterly'', is an Australian literary magazine. The name is derived from the Turrbal word for the spike of land where the city of Brisbane is located. It was founded in 1940 in Brisbane ...
'', "..fell in love with the story of strong, capable women, living without fear on the land, protecting their home and kin, saving young dying farm animals, while offering readers pearls of wisdom told in their own bush English."
''Purple Threads'' has also been reviewed by ''
mETAphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wi ...
'', ''Reviews in Australian Studies'', and ''Outskirts''.
Awards and nominations
* 2010
David Unaipon Award winner.
* 2012
Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Indigenous Writing
The Victorian Premier's Prize for Indigenous Writing is a prize category in the annual Victorian Premier's Literary Award
The Victorian Premier's Literary Awards were created by the Victorian Government with the aim of raising the profile of cont ...
shortlist.
* 2012
Commonwealth Book Prize
Commonwealth Foundation presented a number of prizes between 1987 and 2011. The main award was called the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and was composed of two prizes: the Best Book Prize (overall and regional) was awarded from 1987 to 2011; the Best ...
shortlist.
References
External links
Library holdings of ''Purple Threads''Interview with author
{{DEFAULTSORT:Purple Threads
2011 short story collections
Historical short story collections
Australian short story collections
Indigenous Australian literature
University of Queensland Press books