You can get a sense of our city from its books. Read books that are written by Brisbane authors or set in Brisbane to get an understanding of our place in a different time or seen through different eyes. You can meet Brisbane characters without sitting next to them on the bus, or go back in time without a history degree. Read books about, for and by Brisbane people. Discover Brisbane’s literary side.
For a great vision of Brisbane, through the eyes of many authors, read the anthologies of One Book Many Brisbanes. Each year hundreds of local writers enter the Brisbane City Council competition to be published in the anthology and 10 are chosen. Their stories reflect the characters, histories and small dramas of Brisbane life. The 2008 edition was recently published and is bound to be popular. The 2007 edition was second behind only Harry Potter in borrowing rates at Council libraries.
The Brisbane Writers Festival is not to be missed if you love books, reading, writing or hearing authors speak. The annual festival in September is a book-lovers dream, with days of literary events, visiting authors, workshops and book sales.
Words to Walk By: Exploring Literary Brisbane by Todd Barr gives you details of 25 walks through Brisbane, pointing out the literary highlights. Who wrote where and what inspired them, the book includes maps so you can set yourself on the Brisbane bookloving path. Find a copy at a Council library and take a walk.
For travels of the armchair variety, try the following books about Brisbane:
William McInnes’ A Man’s Got To Have a Hobby, is a funny memoir of his childhood in Redcliffe. His suburban tales of mischief and humour are well worth a read and it brings late 1960s Redcliffe to life.
Nick Earls’ ZigZag Street. Visit the real place in Red Hill. Or read any of Nick Earls’ books to get a sense of Brisbane from 1980 onwards.
The Mayne Inheritance by Rosamond Siemon is an historical non-fiction book based on the strange twists and turns of the Mayne Family, one of Brisbane’s original influential families (with a murderer in the midst). The book starts from the very early days of Brisbane town’s settlement, through to the end of the line when the family donates large tracts of land for the establishment of the University of Queensland.
David Malouf’s Johnno captures a much sleepier Brisbane in the 1950s. He writes imagery of a conservative town and a frustrated youth yearning for life to start.
Other suggested titles:
- Dying for Cake by Louise Limerick, a tale of 5 mothers, set in Brisbane
- The Dirty Beat by Venero Armanno for a view of Brisbane's music scene
- Over the top with Jim by Hugh Lunn - a story of working class Brisbane in the 1950s
- Last Drinks by Andrew McGahan explores the seedy side of Queensland during the years of the Fitzgerald inquiry
Looking to buy great books in Brisbane? Check out our business listings for bookstores all over Brisbane. Some of our favourites include Avid Reader at West End, Coaldrakes at Milton and Folio in the city.
Or relax in one of Brisbane's many libraries.
What’s your favourite book about Brisbane or by a Brisbane author?
I really enjoyed "The Girl Most Likely" by Rebecca Sparrow. An easy and light-hearted read about a twenty-something girl who grew up in Brisbane and the mysteries of the kind of life she thought she may live...