Going for grunge
Revisiting Andrew McGahan's '1988' and 'Kill the Old'
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1017/qre.2016.8Keywords:
Andrew McGahan, '1988', 'Kill the Old', grunge works, Expo ’88, Australian identityAbstract
Andrew McGahan’s novel 1988 and short story ‘Kill the Old’ are re-evaluated in terms of their responses to the political and cultural needs of mid-1990s Queensland. These neglected and undervalued grunge works question the official celebrations connected with Australia’s Bicentenary, especially Expo ’88, and interrogate predominantly white and masculinist notions of Australian identity. In so doing, they contribute to a less insular and ‘fuller version’ of Queensland literature.
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