The Literary Lunch
The Literary Lunch
Selected stories
By Geoffrey Dean
Published by Roaring Forties Press
ISBN 0 9756797 0 8
Geoffrey Dean is a Tasmanian who has been in print for five decades — ever since his first short story ‘The Last Page’ won a short-story competition run by The Mercury and made Dean the richer by a couple of pounds.
He was overseas at the time, doing what was becoming a pilgrimage in post-WWII years for young Australians, working their way around Europe and Canada. His brother Graeme had found the story and entered it without Dean knowing.
It set him on a writing path that’s gained him international recognition, scores more awards and high praise.
The stories have great simplicity and yet are underlined with deeper skeins of meaning.
Dean’s writing can be lyrical, but is very down-to-earth and vivid. He has a sure eye for the colour and texture and aromas; his characters are just ‘ordinary’ people but true to life, each of them revealing the subtleties, complexities, doubts, confusions and triumphs of the human condition.
They live on the pages.
The critics have been unanimous in their praise: thought-provoking, superbly crafted, with wry humour and great humanity. In other words, an author worth reading — and re-reading. PH
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