Finola Moorhead Livres

The novel features a unique structure with twenty-six characters, each represented by a letter of the alphabet, emphasizing a blend of learned and playful prose. It explores themes of feminism and historical context, particularly the plight of women accused of witchcraft who used the 'tarantella' as a ruse to escape their fate. Celebrated since its initial release in 1987, this re-release in paperback highlights its enduring significance in feminist literature, combining serious themes with a whimsical narrative style.

The concept of stillness is at the center of this enigmatic, prize-winning crime novel that follows the relationships of three female characters whose lives are torn apart by madness, rape, and betrayal. The Vietnam War and its consequences for both women and men are explored through the experiences of Patricia, whose husband raped women while fighting abroad. Difficult questions about men and women, sex and honor, relationships and madness are at the heart of this emotional thriller in which crimes are not easily solved and relationships not easily ended.

Gertrude Stein in her 1926 lecture on Composition as Explanation wrote: 'the creator of the new composition in the arts is an outlaw, until [s]he is a classic ...In the tradition of Gertrude Stein, Finola Moorhead set about writing A Handwritten Modern Classic in 1977. The result is musings and criticisms on protestors clashing with police over freeways, political change, conservatism, Malcolm Fraser, what love can do for you, and whether the old hate the young. With discussions on the politics of suicide and unshaven armpits, one of Australias most intriguing experimental writers has set her thoughts to writing, with mention of such famed writers as Socrates and Jane Austen, Coleridge and Tolstoy, as well as the battles between romanticism and jingoism in Australian writing. Written -- by hand -- in the tradition of European and American manifestos, this document challenges readers and writers alike not to fall for a romantic view of the world.