Legends of the Written Word

I don’t have much to say that hasn’t already been said re: the Legends of the Written Word series of stamps out now from Australia Post. I saw my first Tim Winton stamp at work a couple of weeks ago in the mail tray, and then spotted the poster for the whole series at the PO a few days later.

For the record, and for those reluctant to click links, the six stamps feature Bryce Courtenay, Colleen McCullough, Tim Winton, David Malouf, Thomas Keneally and Peter Carey.

Post-Teen Trauma noted the glaring gender imbalance and has suggested a few possible candidates for evening up the X/Y chromosome divide, and The Moral High Ground has some theories about the unadventurousness of the entire selection. Whispering Gums has a few more suggestions as to some other people who seem to have been overlooked, and even The Guardian has weighed in with some concerns on both gender and racial grounds.

Insert your own Australian Legend here...

The Moral High Ground’s comments about the intellectual straightforwardness of our new Australian Legends has got me thinking about who might go on a set of stamps featuring some of Australia’s more intellectual and/or experimental authors. I’ve got Gerald Murnane and Michelle de Kretser on the list, but I’m curious to know who other people think would make a good six to go head to head with Bryce & co.

I’m also curious if there will be stamps featuring poets or short story writers or playwrights or screenwriters or comic writers in the future, of if these six novelists are the only nod that writing will get from Oz Post.

Also, a bunch of old farts and one token younger writer? Where have we seen that before?