Melbourne, City of Literature

Abstract

WORLDLITERATURETODAY.ORG 5 IN 2008 global humanitarian organization unesco classified Melbourne, Australia , an official City of Literature. It’s one of only eleven cities to bear the title worldwide , and even the most cursory search into the culture surrounding Melbourne makes it easy to see why. Per capita, more of Melbourne’s citizens read for pleasure than in any other city in Australia. Nearly half the population of the state of Victoria belongs to one of the area’s more than 250 libraries. In addition, Melbourne hosts several widely attended writing festivals throughout the year. Opened in 1854, the State Library of Victoria is Australia’s oldest library. You may have seen its La Trobe Reading Room featured in the Outpost of WLT’s September 2015 issue. Seeing that beautiful space in person would be reason enough to visit, but with more than seventy thousand items added to its collections each year, it’s also undoubtedly one of the best places to go if you’re looking for more information about Australia’s rich cultural history. It also houses the Wheeler Centre, opened in 2010, which hosts authors in near-daily discussions on everything from comedy and the climate to, of course, literacy and publishing. The city is also home to the Melbourne Writers Festival. Celebrating its thirtieth anniversary this year, this festival’s nearly two-week program is among the longest I have heard of. MWF hosted four hundred writers in 2014, from independent authors to best-selling juggernauts— something for everyone. And the festival features more than just literature; you’ll also find musicians, spoken-word poets, and a different artist in residence at Federation Square every day. Best of all, onethird of its events are free. Venturing out from the library and festival into Melbourne’s laneways brings further literary adventure. Depending on which streets you visit, you’ll find everything from cafés to literacy centers in this area of Melbourne. Marked by colorful graffiti, there is plenty of space for writers and readers in the Flinders Lane precinct bounded by Swanston and Elizabeth streets. The Victorian Writers’ Centre, Collected Works Bookshop, Aboriginal Literacy Foundation, Centre for Adult Education , Letterbox, and City Library are all here, as is the literary-leaning Journal café. Jackie Lamoureux is a WLT intern. photo : rae allen Notebook city profile Melbourne, City of Literature by Jackie Lamoureux MELBOURNE IN LITERATURE Peter Carey Amnesia Knopf, 2015 Sophie Cunningham Melbourne University of New South Wales Press, 2011 Gerald Murnane A Million Windows David R. Godine, 2016 A. S. Patrić Black Rock White City Transit Lounge Publishing, 2015 ...