Australian Gothic

An Anthology of Australian Supernatural Fiction 1867 - 1939

Edited by James Doig

Equilibrium Books (2007)

Web: http://www.equilibriumbooks.com/australian_gothic.htm

Australian Gothic is one of the more significant volumes of supernatural fiction I had read in some time. It is significant for many reasons- the first, of course, is that these are great tales, suspenseful, frightening and intriguing. Secondly, however and perhaps more importantly, these are Australian supernatural tales which date from 1867 – 1939 and this makes this volume quite a unique one.

While there are lots of anthologies of international horror tales and the names of such authors will roll of the tongue of anyone with an interest in such fiction, when it comes to Australia most people draw a blank. As discussed in the erudite and informative introduction, academic volumes and reference texts hardly ever even reference this form of Australia fiction, never mind have any knowledge of the authors.

While some of them may have become well known for other sorts of fiction (Mary Fortune, for example, was well known for her detective tales), many faded into total obscurity. While the period of Australia’s first settlement was marked by a lack of “gothic” tales (as suggested, the hardship of deportment and life in Australia was probably a horror enough!), post deportation gothic and supernatural fiction began to flourish, being published both in colonial periodicals and in anthologies of tales produced by such early Australian publishers as George Robertson and The Bulletin Company.

The stories in this riveting anthology work showcase the richness and diversity of Australian horror, supernatural and gothic fiction in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, from a variety of authors, including Mary Fortune, Lionel Sparrow and Marcus Clarke.

While the settings of these tales range from the Australian outback to Europe, India and the South Pacific, each is in its own unique way Australian. I especially find fascinating the way in which the sense of the “gothic” has been transplanted from Europe into the Australian landscape, evoking the same sense of dread and horror but using burnt our cabins instead of castles and the lonely outback rather than the forest. For example, in the Spirits of the Tower by Mary Fortune, we have an incredible evocation of the gothic tower but rather than set in some exotic European locale, it is in outback Australia. In this tale we have the classic story of the ghost returning to avenge its death but in a uniquely Australian environment, described in a way which makes this tale (and others like it) very different from its international literary cousins.

James Doig has done quite an astounding job, spending what I suggest would have been innumerable hours searching through old books and periodicals in the nation’s libraries to find such rare gems, and rare gems they are.

I view this collection to be of prime importance and feel it should reach the widest possible audience. This is the sort of volume which should be in high school libraries throughout Australia, it shows a virtually unknown side of Australian literature and indeed brings our attention to long forgotten authors whose tales and stories certainly equal anything produced internationally but due to culture and circumstance were lost to time.

I found this volume of exceptional relevance, both as a literary anthology and as an exciting night time read, it will keep you up late and haunt your sleep !

I recommend you buy yourself a copy as soon as possible, indeed, make it a couple of copies and send one to your local library or share it with a friend.