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'Heartbreaking, joyous, traumatic, intimate and revelatory, Reckoning is the book where Magda Szubanski, one of Australia's most beloved performers, tells her story.
'In this extraordinary memoir, Magda describes her journey of self-discovery from a suburban childhood, haunted by the demons of her father's espionage activities in wartime Poland and by her secret awareness of her sexuality, to the complex dramas of adulthood and her need to find out the truth about herself and her family. With courage and compassion she addresses her own frailties and fears, and asks the big questions about life, about the shadows we inherit and the gifts we pass on.
'Honest, poignant, utterly captivating, Reckoning announces the arrival of a fearless writer and natural storyteller. It will touch the lives of its readers.' (Publication summary)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Sound recording.
Works about this Work
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Cover Stories
2019
single work
column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 17 August 2019; (p. 26)'Are words and images allies or enemies on book covers? Book designer WH Chong has some thoughts on striking the right balance between the two.' (Introduction)
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Creating Australia
2016
single work
essay
— Appears in: #SaveOzStories 2016; 'I had no idea how hard it is to write a book. The sheer slog of it. The years of grinding psychological, even physical, labour. Sat hunched over a laptop for hours every day until your fingers cramp and your neck feels like someone has tried to drill a rusty nail through your vertebrae.' (Introduction) -
Top Biographies Battle for $25,000 National Prize
2016
single work
column
— Appears in: The Age , 5 July 2016; (p. 10) Biography is a growing genre in Australian writing and, according to historian Peter Cochrane, that is a sign of a healthy society. -
Three Generations of Sydney Women Finalists for the 2016 Kibble Literary Award
2016
single work
column
— Appears in: Brisbane Times , 7 June 2016; 'Three generations of Sydney women are represented on the shortlist for the $30,000 Kibble Literary Award for women's life writing. ...' -
Magda Szubanski May Leave Australia If Changes to Book Industry Go Ahead
2016
single work
column
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 20 May 2016;'Magda Szubanski said she would consider leaving the country and called for writers to go on strike. Richard Flanagan called for the resignation of arts minister, Mitch Fifield. Tim Winton said the Turnbull government was about to kick a “massive own goal”.'
'On a night designed to celebrate the triumphs of Australian literary culture, there was no escaping the overriding message of doom: that the Australian book industry is in peril because of proposed changes to copyright law and import restrictions. ...'
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A Woman of Substance
2015
single work
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 3-4 October 2015; (p. 18)
— Review of Reckoning : A Memoir 2015 single work autobiography -
What Lurks behind the Laughter
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 17-18 October 2015; (p. 34) The Saturday Age , 17-18 October 2015; (p. 30)
— Review of Reckoning : A Memoir 2015 single work autobiography -
Szubanski's Story an Ode to Her Dad
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sunday Age , 18 October 2015; (p. 17)
— Review of Reckoning : A Memoir 2015 single work autobiography -
Magda Szubanski : Reckoning
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Newtown Review of Books , October 2015;
— Review of Reckoning : A Memoir 2015 single work autobiography -
Magda Szubanski, Reckoning
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 10 October 2015;
— Review of Reckoning : A Memoir 2015 single work autobiography -
Me, Myself, Magda
2015
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 19-20 September 2015; (p. 9-11) 'Just as comedian Magda Szubanski hid her real self for much of her life, her father, too, spent decades remaining silent about the truth of his own past. Now she has detailed her personal and family struggles in a new memoir.' -
My Dad Was a Wartime Assassin
2015
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sunday Mail , 20 September 2015; (p. 11) -
Magda's Curly Tale of 48 Little Pigs
2015
single work
column
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 17 October 2015; (p. 14) -
Magda’s Debut Licks the Literary Cream
2016
single work
column
— Appears in: The Australian , 17 January 2016; (p. 3) -
The Ultimate Reckoning? Magda's a Serious Winner
2016
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 20 May 2016; (p. 20)
Awards
- 2016 shortlisted National Biography Award
- 2016 winner Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) — Gold ABIA Overall Winner
- 2016 shortlisted Kibble Literary Awards — Nita May Dobbie Award
- 2016 winner New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards — Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-Fiction
- 2016 shortlisted Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) — The Matt Richell Award for New Writer