ABORIGINAL CREATIVE WRITING: A SURVEY TO 1981

• Published in: Aboriginal history 1982-01, Vol.6 (1/2), p.111-129
• Main Author: Shoemaker, Adam
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aboriginal Australian authors; Aboriginal Australian literature; Aboriginal Australians; Aboriginal Australians and mass media; Anthologies; Australian literature; Black people; Creative writing; Intellectual life; Island life; Love poetry; Novels; Poetic meter; Poetry; Short stories; Theater
• ISSN: 0314-8769; 1837-9389

Most Australians seem unaware of the extent and quality of Aboriginal literature. My survey focuses on creative writing in English as this has been an important expression of the political aspirations of the Aboriginal people, as well as a significant component of modern Aboriginal history. Aboriginal poets, playwrights, novelists and short story writers have been among the most articulate and influential of spokesmen in recent years; as Bernard Smith has observed, 'a few black writers... are playing a leading part in developing a new awareness of nationhood among their own people'. Naturally much of what these authors write does not come under the rubric of creative writing. Aboriginal contributions in autobiography, biography, legendary tales and political discourse are by no means negligible. Indeed, the importance of these contributions deserves separate consideration. The tone of much Aboriginal creative writing is strongly political and increasingly it is standing on its own.merits as talented work. This article provides a brief overview of the past twenty years, attempts to analyse the past and present writing situation, and offers some tentative predictions for the future.