The Far Side of the Moon and Other Stories
Jana Wendt
Jana Wendt, the much-loved Gold Logie superstar of TV journalism for nearly three decades, feature writer and role model for young career women, has now turned her hand to fiction.
In ‘Bits and Pieces’, an artist talks about his long life: ‘Let me tell you, my friend, journalists ask some very stupid questions.’ In ‘Fame and Nothingness’, a once celebrated journalist calls into a talkback program about meeting Nelson Mandela. In ‘The Stamp of History’, Ada and Albert live through the dark days of Europe. In the opening story, Ludmilla is about to discover an entirely new side to her husband.
Wendt’s stories are polished and exuberant, rich with distinctive voices and precise details. Her characters grapple with fortune and misfortune, with memories of lives in interesting times. Couples are betrayed and redeemed. There are heart-stopping monologues and witty exchanges between friends and rivals. Tragedies alternate with enduring love.
In The Far Side of the Moon, Jana Wendt brings to life a brilliant parade of people, living in a world we instantly recognise.
INTERVIEWS and REVIEWS
ABC Radio Melbourne: Afternoons
ArtsHub
Blue Wolf Reviews
Guardian
andThe Far Side of the Moon and Other Stories
‘A masterfully wrought series of portraits: wise, elegant and surprising.’
‘An appealing blend of wistfulness and playful bemusement…Readers will take pleasure…in the volume’s running themes – particularly the puzzles it constructs from the different kinds of truth, and the opposing strategies deployed to uncover them, in journalism and fiction.’
‘An elegant collection, sometimes delightful, funny, and always observant of the human condition via the smallness of everyday lives.’
‘Jana Wendt knows her way around a story, her new Parth as an author of sharp, playful, unforgettable short stories is a revelation.’
‘ …An astute and an assured and an empathetic insight into human nature…Thought provoking, well written, I can highly recommend.’
‘12 jewels of impeccable observation and erudite commentary. [Wendt’s] experiences in the media zing smartly into the worlds of her characters along with an astute eye for human idiosyncrasies and frailty. Five stars.’
‘An enthralling volume of short stories with a diverse range of characters. … engaging and thought provoking’
