James Doig, editor of Australian Gothic and Australian Nightmares, is interviewed on the "Articulate" weblog by Gary Kemble.
Q. How important is it, do you think, for Australian horror writers to connect with their forebears?It's important for any writer to read widely, and not just their chosen field (especially not in their chosen field!). Sometimes I get the impression that most horror writers, not just Australian, see themselves as part of a tradition that goes back only as far as Stephen King. That's a pity because there is a lot they can learn from earlier writers of supernatural fiction - there is a craft that has developed over the last 150 years that, I think, would repay close study. I'm not sure that there is anything in the early Australian material that rates with the best British and American supernatural fiction of the same period, but writers like Ernest Favenc, Marcus Clarke, and Louis Becke come pretty close. There is definitely an Australian tradition that goes back to colonial times, and that should be acknowledged.
