Dymphna Cusack (1902–1981)

This is a wonderful piece of Australian literature. It captures the lived experience of Sydney and the "American Occupation" during the Second World War, bringing to life the social history I studied in one of Joan Beaumont's classes at Deakin University. I am rediscovering Australian literature that for some reason is hidden behind the cultural cringe. This 1953 version of the work is apparently heavily abridged, and a later version edited from the original manuscript includes the parts about rape, prostitution, and abortion that were not allowed to be published when first released in 1951. I enjoy discovering great literature at bric-a-brac stores, but it really makes we wonder how such gems escape the Australian education system. The tales of tragedy, glamour, despair, and comeuppance, following the lives of a handful of young women in 1940s Sydney, expose a reality that was well-hidden by my great-grandparents and their facade of morality. Maybe this is why the work has not had its proper place in Australian literature, despite a television series based on the book that seems to have also disappeared into history.… (mer)

While set in the 1920s-1940s, Cusack's sort-of-memoir of her time as a teacher - during which she taught at around 14 schools in 22 years - is well-worth reading for its insight into teaching and education, into the development of her political and social conscience, and, to some degree, into her as a writer. For my full review, please see Whispering Gums: http://whisperinggums.com/2013/07/25/dymphna-cusack-a-window-in-the-dark-review/… (mer)