Toot Toot: Imagined Town Crier

DIARY NOTE: 'BRISBANE WRITERS' FESTIVAL THIS WEEKEND
4-6 October 2002'

Is Brisbane living in a golden age of the book?

If you're strolling around Brisbane in the next couple of months, don't be surprised to find someone asking your opinion of Peter Carey's latest novel.

I feel partly responsible for this likely intrusion as on Valentine’s Day 2002 I received an e-mail from the Mayor of Brisbane threatning to follow Chicago's lead.

'Dear Jozef,

Thank you for your recent email and for your kind words and your great enthusiasm for this city. As for the one book project we have taken Chicago's example and chosen an iconic Australian book called "Ned Kelly". Hopefully, our choice for our first venture will have wide enthusiasm. Great to hear from you.
Best wishes,
Jim Soorley
Lord MayorBrisbane'

After this email I took a page out of the book used by the inside information traders at stock exchanges and I bet a local barista that our Mayor, Jim Soorley, will implement One Book For Our City.

The New York based Australian writer, Peter Carey, and his book 'True History of the Kelly Gang' was chosen as the maiden title of what Bribane hopes will become a tradition. Brisbane has a chance to get people talking who might not otherwise meet each other. That's incredibly valuable in a city as diverse and as geographically spread out as the subtropical mecca 'Brissie.'

Carey has spent few days in Brisbane kicking off a ten-week campaign of discussions in libraries, book stores and coffee shops like the Aroma at the Regent Theater.

'Like Chicago ,' Carey noted 'Brisbane had people with the political clout and guts to drive this through.'

Australian Outback Saint/Sinner Ned Kelly. Ned is the Slavic version of Juraj Janosik ... Juraj Who?