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Debra Adelaide Debra Adelaide i(A22496 works by) (a.k.a. Debra Kim Adelaide)
Born: Established: 1958 Sydney, New South Wales, ;
Gender: Female
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Works By

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1 Grief and Loss : Fiction from a Child’s Point of View Debra Adelaide , 2021 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , November no. 437 2021; (p. 35-36)

— Review of We Were Not Men Campbell Mattinson , 2021 single work novel ; The Cookbook of Common Prayer Francesca Haig , 2021 single work novel ; Small Joys of Real Life Allee Richards , 2021 single work novel

'One of the hardest challenges for a novelist is to write a story for adults from the point of view of a child. In 1847, Charlotte Brontë set the bar high with Jane Eyre, the first novel to achieve this. The story ends when Jane is a woman but commences with the child Jane’s perspective. So effective for readers was Brontë’s ground-breaking feat that Charles Dickens decided to write Great Expectations in the voice of the child Pip, after just hearing about Jane Eyre, even before reading it.' (Introduction)

1 An Infinite Void : The Great Weight of History and Culture Debra Adelaide , 2021 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , July no. 433 2021; (p. 36)

— Review of After Story Larissa Behrendt , 2021 single work novel
'In the latter half of this novel, one of its protagonists is viewing a collection of butterflies at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. This forms part of Jasmine’s holiday with her mother, Della, a tour of famous literary and other notable cultural sites in the United Kingdom. By this stage they have visited Stratford-upon-Avon, Brontë country in Haworth, and Jane Austen’s Bath and Southampton, and have been duly impressed or, in Della’s case, underwhelmed. But now Jasmine can only feel sadness: ‘We take the life of a living thing, hold it to display, because we feel entitled to the knowledge, entitled to the owning, the possessing.’' (Introduction)
1 Different Territory : Three New Novels Debra Adelaide , 2021 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , May no. 431 2021; (p. 31-32)

— Review of From Where I Fell Susan Johnson , 2021 single work novel ; New Animal Ella Baxter , 2021 single work novel
1 Fox Business : Jo Lennan's Rich, Accomplished Stories Debra Adelaide , 2020 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , September no. 424 2020; (p. 31)

— Review of In the Time of Foxes Jo Lennan , 2020 selected work short story
'Wonderful is not a critical word, but that is where I begin. Now that I have made my peace with foxes, I am full of wonder for them. Doubly receptive to these stories, I am quickly seduced after the first few, in which foxes appear either substantially or marginally. There is much wonderment in these stories, though only one of them is what might strictly be called speculative.' (Introduction)
1 Remnant Ash Debra Adelaide , 2019 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , November no. 416 2019; (p. 40)

— Review of A Constant Hum Alice Bishop , 2019 selected work short story
'Thanks to the internet, the 24/7 news cycle, and social media, certain books are preceded by their reputations. They arrive freighted with so much publicity hype that reading them with fresh eyes is almost impossible. A Constant Hum is one such book, very much the product of a reputation established well before publication, due to the airing of individual stories in places like Seizure and Meanjin, along with several prizes and shortlistings.' 

(Introduction)

1 2 y separately published work icon The Innocent Reader : Reflections on Reading and Writing Debra Adelaide , Sydney : Picador , 2019 18048447 2019 selected work essay 'Books are impractical companions and housemates: they are heavy when you are travelling, and in the home take up a lot of space, are hard to keep clean, and harbour insects. It is not a matter of the physical book, it is the deep emotional connection that stretches back to my early years. Living without them is unimaginable.

'These collected essays share a joyous and plaintive glimpse into the reading and writing life of novelist, editor and teacher of creative writing Debra Adelaide.

'Every book I have read becomes part of me, and discarding any is like tearing out a page from my own life.

'With immediate wit and intimacy, Adelaide explores what shapes us as readers, how books inform, console and broaden our senses of self, and the constant conversation of authors and readers with the rest of their libraries. Drawing from her experiences in the publishing industry, the academic world, her own life and the literary and critical communities, she paints a vibrant portrait of a life lived in and by books, perfect for any student, bibliophile, editor, or simply: reader.' (Publication summary)
 
1 Conversation with a Fox Debra Adelaide , 2019 single work prose
— Appears in: Sydney Review of Books , October 2019;
1 Coach Fitz and the Accidentally Comic Voice Debra Adelaide , 2019 single work column
— Appears in: The Conversation , 26 June 2019;
1 Zebra Debra Adelaide , 2019 single work short story
— Appears in: Zebra and Other Stories 2019; (p. 203)
1 Wipe Away Your Tears Debra Adelaide , 2019 single work short story
— Appears in: Zebra and Other Stories 2019; (p. 185-202)
1 The Recovery Position Debra Adelaide , 2019 single work short story
— Appears in: Zebra and Other Stories 2019; (p. 172-184)
1 No Hot Drinks in the Ward Debra Adelaide , 2019 single work short story
— Appears in: Zebra and Other Stories 2019; (p. 143-156)
1 I Am at Home Now Debra Adelaide , 2019 single work short story
— Appears in: Zebra and Other Stories 2019; (p. 131-142)
1 Carry Your Heart Debra Adelaide , 2019 single work short story
— Appears in: Zebra and Other Stories 2019; (p. 117-130)
1 Migraine for Beginners Debra Adelaide , 2019 single work short story
— Appears in: Zebra and Other Stories 2019; (p. 71-94)
1 Festive Food for the Whole Family Debra Adelaide , 2019 single work short story
— Appears in: Zebra and Other Stories 2019; (p. 55-64)
1 A Fine Day Debra Adelaide , 2019 single work short story
— Appears in: Zebra and Other Stories 2019; (p. 33-54)
1 Dismembering Debra Adelaide , 2019 single work short story
— Appears in: Zebra and Other Stories 2019; (p. 3-20)
1 4 y separately published work icon Zebra and Other Stories Debra Adelaide , Sydney : Picador , 2019 15418348 2019 selected work short story

'A body buried in a suburban backyard.

'A suicide pact worthy of Chekhov.

'A love affair born in a bookshop.

'The last days of Bennelong.

'And a very strange gift for a most unusual Prime Minister...

'Tantalising, poignant, wry, and just a little fantastical, this subversive collection of short fiction - and one singular novella - from bestselling author Debra Adelaide reminds us what twists of fate may be lurking just beneath the surface of the everyday.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

1 Award Recognises the Ways in Which Indigenous Writers Enrich Australian Literature and Culture Debra Adelaide , 2018 single work essay
— Appears in: Sydney PEN Magazine , May 2018; (p. 22-23)

'The main purpose of the Patrick White Award is to encourage the winner to continue writing, and to provide some financial support to enable that. As Debra Adelaide reports, with his award White supported a basic human right, which is the freedom of expression through the written word.'  (Introduction)

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