Comments on: Nicolas Rothwell, The Red Highway launch and “implausible nonsense”

By: Dave Richards

Dave Richards — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 08:34:17 +0000

Well Bob, thanks for reminding me what a hatchet job looks like. You’ve got skills!

By: thinking about poetry

thinking about poetry — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:55:34 +0000

...] nonsense’ as one reviewer put it. There’s a range of viewpoints on the Crikey blogs HERE and a fairly positive review by Liam Davison in The Australian HERE, but some passages were [...

By: iconophiliac

iconophiliac — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 06:34:43 +0000

Thanks for pointing us to this review Bob. I, too, have not bought or read The Roth’s tome. There are many other things higher up my list. But in relation to his writings about Aboriginal Art, let me reassure you it’s no better. Maybe worse, but then maybe I’ll never be in a position to make that judgement. I do however have one of those boxes where I’ve been chucking Nic’s clippings, anticipating that one day he’ll write something to which I’ll feel moved to respond. But no (and correct me somebody if I’m wrong) I’ve never been so moved. My impression is that his writing about Aboriginal art is always in review mode (favours bought or favours sought) or reflections and anecdotes, which can never be substantiated, and which read as the highest of hyperbole. Never based on original work, on deep research, and with no original discoveries or observations. Romantically poetic, perhaps, but never even a “songlines” catch-phrase to remember it by. And he assumes his knowledge (his reading, research) is always complete, so that when he first burst on the scene he made all sorts of claims about the dearth of an art history of Aboriginal Art – meaning, he hadn’t come across it yet. And then when he does finally meet or read someone like Howard Morphy, he fawns all over him in print, at the next opportunity. Yuk. And yet, and yet, today he writes a terrific short essay in the Oz Review about the Oenpelli Python! What are we to make of that? We all have good and bad days, perhaps?

By: Bob Gosford

Bob Gosford — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:09:44 +0000

Frank – I can but agree – and I’ll revise my comments about his art writing – I received a few calls about what i said above over the last few days and more than a few shortcomings in his writing in this area were pointed out to me…

By: Frank Campbell

Frank Campbell — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:37:45 +0000

Rothwell’s writing has always seemed to me precious and over-written. Straining for effect, comically at times. I think Private Eye would have nailed him as a pseud.