CARMEL BIRD
AUTHOR
About the Writer
I grew up in Tasmania, which is currently known by its indigenous name of lutruwita, and much of my writing reflects my place of origin. I now live in central Victoria, on unceded Dja Dja Wurrung land. My new book Love Letter to Lola is a collection of short stories, several of which are set in lutruwita. My first book Dimitra was published in 1976, and my memoir Telltale was published in 2022. In 2022 the University of Tasmania awarded me an Honorary Doctorate of Letters, and in 2016 I received the Patrick White Award for Literature.
Picture Book 2023
Carmel and Jace
Arabella is a picture book for children between the ages of two and ten. It also has considerable appeal for people of all ages, particularly those who love cats. It was inspired by a true story of a very shy little cat, Arabella, who was coaxed out of her fearful, lonely existence inside a cupboard by a friendly, determined cat called George. Related in verse, the tale explores the problem of extreme shyness, and shows how kindness and perseverance can triumph over the sad isolation of life in the shadows.
Published in December 2023, by Treasure Street Press, Arabella is illustrated with pen and ink and watercolour. The artist is Jace Rogers from Castlemaine, Victoria. It is available in bookshops, and also direct from the author at carmel@carmelbird.com.
Endpapers for Arabella
New Book 2023
There are 18 stories and also a reflection on the writing of them. The title story showcases the extinction of Spix’s macaw, a blue parrot. Since learning of the extinction of the thylacine when I was a child, I have been fascinated by the disappearance of species, both animal and plant. Four of the stories in the collection are tales of extinction. A consciousness of the ‘end of time’ hovers throughout the book, not least in the final story which is narrated by a recording angel. All but one of the 18 have been published in journals and anthologies.
Publication May 2023, Spineless Wonders
Comments
Matthew Condon: With Love Letter to Lola, Carmel Bird can rightfully take her place as one of the finest short story writers in Australian literary history. On the back of an already stunning body of work, this collection – rich, unnerving, playful, terrifying and heartbreakingly moving – pushes the limits of the genre to such a satisfying and effortless degree that you feel you are reading something entirely fresh and new. Bird’s stories teem with life, they eddy and dance, and flow back and forth through each other, like memories and history and life. They may be told from the perspective of a cockroach, or a mournful brother, or an angel, and each and every one of these stories is thrillingly convincing. As a writer, Bird has been and continues to be impossible to categorise. Her ideas and obsessions and interests are multitude, but all without exception are driven by her utterly unique, pyrotechnic energy. Her stories roar and soar, they set your teeth on edge and trigger tears, they make you howl with laughter even as you peer into the abyss of existence. This is the thing about masters of their craft – they reignite in you the unquantifiable joy of reading. And if they’re good enough, they also make you excited about the complex art of writing. How on earth, you ask, did she just do that? Carmel Bird is one such master.
Sophie Cunningham: Carmel Bird is an extraordinary writer and these stories are playful, violent, wild. In Love Letter to Lola she asks us to inhabit the bodies and minds of birds and insects, mammals and angels as they, as we all, stand tremulous on the point of extinction. Reading them made me feel braver.
Gregory Day: Playing with darkness but in no way mucking around, this teeming collection is deeply tuned to the possibilities of a future ‘where all life on the planet is treasured and nurtured by humans’.
Susan Midalia: A beguiling blend of historical facts – with an eye for the unexpected and bizarre –and a dazzling imagination. A vividly realised world of fantasy, romance and horror, in which cockroaches, rats and dodos voice the brutal realities of species extinction and the destructive effects of colonialism. There’s profound emotion and disarming wit, with faint echoes of optimism about the future of the planet under siege. Vintage Carmel Bird: immersive, surprising and irresistible.
Michael McGirr: These stories are in love with life and its surprising possibilities. They are clever, heartfelt, joyous and wise. They find, as Hopkins said, the ‘dearest freshness deep down things.’ Time spent with Carmel Bird is simply uplifting.
Dennis Altman: Once again Carmel Bird weaves her magic, constantly surprising the reader with her inventiveness and her wisdom. Reading her stories is like opening up a compendium in which one finds unexpected treasures. Hers is a unique voice, attuned to the disquiets of our age and still able to inspire hope and reflection.