I jumped into this one after a fiction-heavy few weeks, following the David Foster Wallace with some short stories by John Updike. It was nice to get back into some non-fic. Especially non-fiction as sharp, funny and out-and-out bitchy as this is.
Ostensibly about Australian architecture, The Australian Ugliness is about so much more. Despite being published in 1960, this book is still cutting in it's observations of Australian attitudes in regards to taste. Above everything else it is fantastic writing, such as in this description of why we don't like native plants;
"The wattle and other native trees are almost indolent in their habits, lounging at drunken angles on the shabby,crackly,threadbare ochre carpet. "
How he manages to be critical while at the same time warm and understanding is impressive. Plus there's really cute drawings too!
No comments:
Post a Comment