For my second nomination, even though a book from Australia just won last month, I'm putting forth another Australian book, this time a memoir:
Unreliable Memoirs by Clive James. Though it's an autobiography, James makes no claim to being faithfully accurate and some have labelled the book as (purposely) half nonfiction, half novel. I thought it would fit the topic well because in the book he tells of his time growing up in post-war Sydney and of various acquaintances and relatives, some of whom are unpredictable, eccentric and outrageous.
Goodreads 192 pages, 1980, Australia
Quote:
'Do not read this book in public. You will risk severe internal injuries from trying to suppress your laughter.' Sunday Times
I was born in 1939. The other big event of that year was the outbreak of the Second World War, but for the moment that did not affect me.
In the first instalment of Clive James's memoirs we follow the young Clive on his journey from boyhood to the cusp of manhood, when his days of wearing short trousers are finally behind him. Battling with school, girls, various relatives and an overwhelming desire to be a superhero, Clive's adventures growing up in the suburbs of post-war Sydney are hair-raising, uproarious and almost too good to be true . . .
Told with James's unassailable sense of humour and self-effacing charm, Unreliable Memoirs is a hilarious and touching introduction to the story of a national treasure. A million-copy bestseller, this classic memoir is a celebration of life in all its unpredictable glory.
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