The ratings success of the current Underbelly television series proves it is entertaining, even enjoyable, but is it literature?Writer and former documentary filmmaker, Associate Professor Jane Mills at the Charles Sturt University (CSU) School of Communication, thinks so.
“Not only is it literature, but it’s good literature,” says Professor Mills, who read over a hundred film and television scripts and plays as one of the panel of judges for this year’s NSW Premier’s Literary Awards.
“Do people realise they are seeing and hearing literature when they settle down to an evening’s viewing of tough violence and equally tough language on the nation’s favourite television crime series?” she asks.
“Just as Shakespeare or Chaucer were certainly skilled in using popular everyday language and violence, Underbelly demonstrates not only skilled writing but also a love of language. This is certainly a series of high literary merit.”
Professor Mills says the judges were particularly thrilled to include a documentary series, First Australians, co-written by Louis Nowra, Rachel Perkins and Beck Cole, on the awards short-list.
“Documentaries are often thought worthy but dull. This series shows this to be far from the truth and its literary quality positively sparkles.”
Of the plays and scripts short-listed, Professor Mills says some people may be surprised to see titles such as these selected for a literary award.
“They all push the boundaries of the genre, style and content in various ways that made us confident that Australian literature is far from dead or dying,” she said.
The short-listed scripts are Prime Mover (David Caesar), Underbelly (Greg Haddrick, Felicity Packard and Peter Gawler), Disgrace (Anna-Maria Monticelli), All Saints (Sean Nash), and First Australians (Louis Nowra, Rachel Perkins and Beck Cole)
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