The Independent Type: Books and Writing in Victoria is a free exhibition that celebrates Victoria's rich and diverse written culture, highlighting the stories, the voices and the spirit of independence that have made our literature unique.
With this important exhibition the State Library of Victoria celebrates Melbourne's status as a UNESCO City of Literature. The exhibition traces Victoria's literary evolution from traditional Indigenous storytelling through colonial classics to the vibrant contemporary writing scene. This thread is interwoven with the grand narrative of Victoria's history, and of the people and events that made Melbourne marvellous.
The Independent Type: Books and writing in Victoriacelebrates the work of award-winning contemporary authors such as Booker Prize winner Peter Carey, crime writer Peter Temple and young-adult novelist Sonya Hartnett, as well as non-fiction authors including Manning Clark and Germaine Greer. It also features important early writers such as Marcus Clarke and Henry Handel Richardson, and embraces literary 'rascals' like left-wing novelist Frank Hardy and controversies such as the notorious Ern Malley hoax.
The exhibition examines a diversity of 'literatures' – the printed book, electronic media, the spoken word and even a possum-skin cloak. It looks into Victoria's thriving literary niches, including poetry, theatre, literary journals and 'zines, and children's literature from I Can Jump Puddles to Animalia. It explores every aspect of the world of books and writing, from booksellers and publishers to literary awards and festivals. It tells the stories of passionate and enterprising figures such as State Library founder Sir Redmond Barry, the eccentric EW Cole and his Book Arcade, independent publishers McPhee Gribble, and Lonely Planet founders Tony and Maureen Wheeler.
The exhibition comprises a fascinating display of rare books and original manuscripts, documents, photographs, artworks and installations. It showcases the richness of the State Library of Victoria's literary history collection, and draws upon the collections of individuals and organisations across the country.
The Independent Type: Books and writing in Victoriais curated by Steve Grimwade, Associate Director of the 2009 Melbourne Writers Festival and former editor of literary journal Going Down Swinging.
The exhibition is on at the State Library of Victoria from 24 April to 25 October 2009.
