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Speaking of Us :
Voices from Twentieth-Century Australia

Barry York

Echoes from the earliest years of the century mingle with the voices of contemporary Australia in this fascinating selection of excerpts from the Oral History Collection of the National Library of Australia. Humour and drama, sport, culture, politics and the media, work and leisure are all represented. There are stories of life from remote properties; there are comments on society and government policies; there are anecdotes and opinions.

The selection represents a distilled view of our country in this century, with glimpses of everyday life and major events through the words of famous people and ordinary citizens. Included are Barry Humphries, May Gibbs, 'Nugget' Coombs, Sir Robert Helpmann, Alex Jesaulenko, Dame Enid Lyons, Rex Nan Kivell, Xavier Herbert, A.D. Hope, Donald Horne, Faith Bandler, Oodgeroo Noonuccal, Gustav Nossal, Normal Lindsay, Peter Weir, and many others.

This book is a marvellous opportunity to explore the treasures of the National Library's Oral History Collection. Barry York has chosen 124 excerpts from the thousands of recordings and transcripts available in this archive. He has created a rich and involving mosaic of twentieth-century life in Australia.

Information on author:

Barry York was born in London in 1951 and emigrated to Melbourne with his parents in 1954. The family settled in Brunswick, where Barry resided for 28 years. Barry attended Northcote High School and La Trobe University prior to completing postgraduate studies at the University of Sydney and the University of New South Wales during the 1980s.

He holds a Master of Arts degree and a PhD, both in History. He has authored and co-authored several books, including 'The Black Resistance' (with Fergus Robinson, 1977), 'Student Revolt' (1989), 'Empire and Race' (1990), 'Our multicultural heritage' and 'Speaking of us: voices from twentieth century Australia' (2000).

He has been a Research Fellow at ANU and Victoria University of Technology, as well as a Harold White Fellow at the National Library of Australia. He has been an occasional interviewer for the National Library's Oral History Program since 1988.

ISBN 0 642 10715 7
1999, pb, 250 x 205 mm, 164 pp, b&w illus.

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Last updated 14 August, 2002