Courage, Survival and Greed

Anna Funder, Melissa Lucashenko and Christopher Kremmer, Allen & Unwin, $24.99

These three essays were commissioned by Sydney PEN, an association of writers devoted to freedom of expression.

Funder’s essay looks at courage, particularly courage in women. Lucashenko’s focuses on the difference between the European notion of survival and the Indigenous Australian’s.

Kremmer’s essay on greed was frightening as he covered the subtle forms of greed taking over our society, including fewer churches preaching against temptation, tolerance of corporate excesses and constant spending on appliances and gadgets.

Courage, Survival and Greed is an interesting, prophetic and, most importantly for such important topics, quite easy to read.

Katy Gerner