The Australian current-affairs magazine "The Bulletin" has played a long and glorious part in the history of Australian literature over the past 125 years. During the period from 1880 to about 1920 it was a major publisher of such poets as Henry Lawson, Banjo Paterson, Victor Daley, Mary Gilmore, and C.J. Dennis (amongst many others). But over the past few years it has moved away from publishing poems and stories, and now even book reviews are few and far between.
The most recent issue is the 125th anniversary edition and carries two articles about the magazine's history: "Tales of Mystery and Imagination" about the life and legacy of the magazine's founder J.F. Archibald; and "Lore of the Land" about the magazine's place in the rural side of the Australian nation in its early days. Other than that there is one, one, minor review of the short story collection: Zero Break: An Illustrated Collection of Surf Writing edited by Matt Warshaw. And that's it.
I'm not sure how "The Bulletin" presents its web-based material as yet. The two major articles mentioned are available on the magazine's website, but only to subscribers to the printed version. In the previous issue things were a bit better: Sally Blakeney both profiles and interviews author Peter Goldsworthy; and there are reviews of Hill of Grace by Stephen Orr, Taking Care of Business by Peter Corris, and Heavenly Pleasures by Kerry Greenwood. This may mean that "subscriber-only" material is only restricted for the week between issues; I've have to check back next week. And the thing that really topped off my feelings of disappointment with the current issue? The cover features a portrait of the late Princess Diana, Princess of Wales. Enough already. Can't we just move on?
