Wednesday 23 November 2022

Book Review: The Furphy Anthology 2021

 Selected Short stories from 
THE FURPHY LITERARY AWARD
 
Title: The Furphy Anthology 2021
Author: Various
Publisher: Heads & Tales
Publication date: 1st December 2021
Genre: Various
RRP: $35.00AU
Pages: 216
Format: Hardcover
Source: Courtesy of DMCPRMedia
 
My review of The Furphy Anthology 2021
 
I loved the cover of this anthology; Sixteen jewels from the literary world.
 
These sixteen quintessentially Australian short stories with coastal, rural, desert and small-town settings are like a snapshot in time; leaving the before and after up to the readers imagination. 

I really enjoy anthologies and find most have a connecting theme that help the stories to  flow into each other. Although I don't think these short stories had a suggested theme they all felt connected in their Austalianness. There is something about each story that screams Australia, whether it be the seclusion of location, the atmosphere, the language, or the characters themselves, it seemed to permeate each story without being openly stated.
 
There are stories of young people feeling trapped, neglected children, test-tube meat, love, loss and disconnectedness. 
My favourite story was about a teenaged boy wanting to escape a small country town filled with racism, bigotry, dysfunctional families and drugs but family obligations keep holding him back.
"Everyone thinks everyone else is the problem; everyone gives their opinion; and everyone thinks someone else should fix it."
 
With stories from a wide variety of genres I am certain there will be something in this collection that will resonate with all readers. 
Beautifully presented in hardcover format The Furphy Anthology 2021 would make an excellent gift idea. 
 
My rating 4.31 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⅓ (averaged over the 16 stories)

 
About the Furphy Literary Award
 
The Award is named in honour of Australian writer Joseph Furphy, who wrote under the pen name Tom Collins and published Such is Life in 1903. Originally established in 1992, the Furphy Literary Award was relaunched as a national prize in 2020.

The Open Category is for short stories 5000 words or less with $20,000 prize money up for grabs. There are also four Junior/Youth categories, open to people from the greater Shepparton area in Victoria.

Visit their website to learn more about the awards: https://www.furphystory.com.au/furphy-literary-award/
 


 

 

 

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