A First Place

A collection of personal essays and writing from David Malouf to celebrate his 80th birthday.

Topography, geography, history.
Multiculturalism, referendums, the constitution and national occasions.

Parental and grandparental romances, the sensual and bountiful beauty of Brisbane, the mysterious offerings of Queenslander houses, and leaving home.

The idea of a nation and the heart of its people.
Being Australian and Australia's relationship to the world.
Putting ourselves on the map.

All these subjects, and more, are explored from the generous, questioning and original perspective of David Malouf.

At the heart of these pieces is the idea of home, where and what it is. What they illustrate is the formation of a man, an Australian and one of the best writers this country has produced.

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'A sublime meditation on this country .' DAVID MARR, THE MONTHLY
'Malouf is our best living interpreter of place and tradition' ANDREW FUHRMANN, THE SUN-HERALD
'Remarkable for its breadth of mind, elegance and wisdom.' PETER CRAVEN, THE AGE
'Australia's finest writer' MIRIAM COSIC, THE AUSTRALIAN
'Malouf is a lyrical story-writer.' MALCOLM KNOWX, THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
'A first-rate writer-a sensitive historian of the spirit.' WALL STREET JOURNAL
'A richly imagistic writer, philosophical and literary in the best sense.' WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD