Meanjin: v. 69, no. 4

This December, Meanjin turns seventy. As Australia's second oldest literary journal, it has helped our nation develop a cultural identity, critiqued that identity and, more recently, saw globalisation threaten Australia's newfound sense of self. A list of the contributors over the years is like a roll call of Australian literature and, to celebrate, we will republish some favourites alongside current commentators.We include an overview of Meanjin's noble history of cover design by Denise Whitehouse alongside former editor Jim Davidson's overview of the long-lived journal. Hilary McPhee will revisit AA Phillips 'The Cultural Cringe' (which we'll reproduce) while Marcus Westbury considers the value of thinking and acting small. Vance Palmer (1942) asks what it means to go into battle, while Helen Garner (2002) considers the use of 'I' in her work. M.J. Hyland (2004) writes an elegy to the asylum that once held her, Brian Matthews visits a very different Northern Ireland in 1979, Catherine Duncan reports back from the Paris riots of 1969, Elizabeth Jolley (1987) talks about her knickers, Wendy Harmer stands up for herself (1986), Graham Little (1985) asks if Bob Hawke if is in trouble, Denis Altman (1984) asks if gay theatre is gay enough, Fiona McGregor (1996) tells us why she's queer, not a lesbian, Garrie Hutchinson (1986) looks at the life and influence of Graham Kennedy, J.M. Coetzee (2005) talks about translation, Les Murray (1977) considers the influence of indigenous culture on his poetry while Tony Birch (1992) looks at the making and unmaking of aboriginal culture. We include fiction by Marion Halligan, Lily Brett, Patrick White, David Malouf, Beverly Farmer Alex Miller, Tim Winton, and Peter Carey, as well as poetry by Judith Wright, Chris Wallace-Crabbe, A D Hope, James Macauley, Dorothy Porter, John Tranter, Judith Beveridge, Lisa Bellear, Robert Adamson, John Forbes and Antigone Kefala.And, much, much more.