Name that Australian Book Title Quiz

Answer: "Cloudstreet"

Two families, the Lambs and Pickles share a house in "Cloudstreet". It is set in the 1950s in Perth and follows these two families and their triumphs and tragedies over two decades. It's my favourite Tim Winton book.

"The Drowner" was written by Robert Drewe, another Western Australian author, and the "That Eye, the Sky" and "Shallows" were both earlier books by Tim Winton.

Answer: "My Place"

Sally Morgan wrote this book in 1987. As a child she was told that she was of Indian descent but as she grew older she discovered that, in fact, she and her sister were of Aboriginal descent, from the Palku people of the Pilbara. This is a very moving search for identity.

Her second book "Wanamurraganya" was published in 1989. Sally Morgan is also a well recognised aboriginal artist, both in Australia and overseas.

The other three books are also autobiographies. "A Fortunate Life" (1981) was written by A.B. Facey and is another extraordinary story covering the early 20th century. "My Brilliant Career" was written by Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin (known as Miles Franklin) in 1899. "From Strength to Strength" (1992) was written by Sarah Henderson about her life in a tin shack in outback Australia.

Answer: "The True History of the Kelly Gang"

A lot of people find "The True History of the Kelly Gang" difficult to read because of the narrative style, but I found that once I got into the rhythm of the language it was easy and made the story totally believable. Credit should also be given to Peter Carey's meticulous research.

There have been many books written about Ned Kelly but Peter Carey didn't write one called "Ned Kelly". "Sister Kate" is a book written by Jean Bedford about Kate Kelly, Ned's sister. "Oscar and Lucinda" is another Booker Prize winning book by Peter Carey (1988). I think you have to be very very good to win the Booker more than once.

Answer: "The Harp in the South" and "Poor Man's Orange"

"The Harp in the South" and "Poor Man's Orange" were both written by Ruth Park and feature the Darcy family during the period immediately after World War II. She understood what it was like to grow up in this environment. The stories are full of vitality and humour despite desperate poverty.

"The Cross" and "Dreamtime Alice" are written by Mandy Sayer, who grew up in Kings Cross in Sydney's red light district. "Casino" and "The Big Drop" are written by Peter Corris and his stories are also set in inner city Sydney. "A Cry in the Jungle Bar" and "The Bay of Contented Men" are written by Robert Drewe and set in Asia and Perth and on the Western Australian coast.

Answer: "Johnno"

"Johnno" is still my favourite David Malouf story, perhaps because it was the first one I read. He's written many other great books since.

"Fly Away Peter"(1982) was also written by David Malouf but is set in the First World War. "The Ballad of Desmond Kale" (2005) was written by Roger McDonald and is set in colonial Australia, and "My Brother Jack" (1964) was written by Geoge Johnson and is set in the Depression years.

Answer: "The Well"

"The Well" is a very creepy story, about an old woman, Hester, and a younger woman, Katherine, and a man who is stuck in a well. Elizabeth Jolley (1923-2007) populated her stories with quirky characters and weird situations. She started writing late in life but was very prolific.

The other three books were also written by Elizabeth Jolley. "My Father's Moon" is autobiographical.

Answer: "Voss"

"As it is I'm a dated novelist, whom hardly anybody reads, or if they do, most of them don't understand what I am on about. Certainly I wish I had never written Voss, which is going to be everybody's albatross." Patrick White, 1981. "Voss" is his most contentious novel, and many Aussies were upset about the picture he painted of Australia.

Patrick White won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1973.

The other three books were also written by Patrick White. "The Tree of Man" in 1955, "The Solid Mandala" in 1966 and "Riders in a Chariot" in 1961.

Answer: "Matthew Flinders' Cat"

"Matthew Flinders' Cat" is Trim, and his statue sits on the sill of a window in the State Library, which is where Ryan meets Billy O'Shannessy. Billy tells Ryan the story of Matthew Flinders' circumnavigation of Australia through the eyes of the cat, Trim.

The other books were also written by Bryce Courtney.

Answer: "The World is Made of Glass"

Morris West was a teacher and a member of the Christian Brothers order before he became a writer. He was very prolific and many of his books have religious themes. The "World is Made of Glass" is one of the few that doesn't. It is very well researched and, although fictionalised, is a fascinating account of psychoanalysis in the early 20th century.

The other three books were also written by Morris West and are perhaps better known. Many of his books have been made into films. "The Shoes of the Fisherman" was filmed in 1968 and starred Anthony Quinn, Laurence Olivier, David Janssen, Leo McKern and John Geilgud; "The Devil's Advocate" was filmed in 1978 and starred John Mills.

Answer: "Gould's Book of Fish"

"Gould's Book of Fish" is about William Buelow Gould, and while it starts in contemporary times, it takes the reader back to 1828 and a convict settlement in Tasmania. Billy Gould, a convict serving time in this most brutal world was ordered to paint a book of fish. It is a fantastic book in all ways, being part fantasy, part fact. My copy of this book contains the illustrations of the fish painted by Gould.

The other books were also written by Richard Flanagan: "Death of a River Guide" in 1994, "The Sound of One Hand Clapping" in 1997 and "The Unknown Terrorist" in 2007.