 Word On Books
with Jeremy Fenton
The Dog Catcher
By Alexei Sayle
Published by Sceptre
 Alexei Sayle is a funny man - as anyone who has seen his comedy on television will attest (The Young Ones and Alexei Sayle's Stuff). His humour is dark, frequently pointed and angry, and usually tinged with an undeniable and enviable intelligence.
His first collection of stories, Barcelona Plates, gathered a reasonable amount of critical acclaim (especially for such brilliant stories as The Last Woman Killed in the War), with people like the late Douglas Adams singing his praises to all who would listen.
It should come as no surprise that his second anthology of short tales is a very satisfying read. The Dog Catcher stretches across nine stories of modern morals and so-called 'cool' culture to capture the absurdities of living in the twenty-first century. And, as Sayle would like it known, the book includes 'a group of ex-patriots, several cyclists, sundry television executives, an architect, a bunch of pirates, and Joseph Stalin'.
It would be hard to pick a standout from this collection, but The Only Man Stalin Was Afraid Of, The Dog Catcher and Who Died And Left You In Charge are all pretty good indicators of the man's talent with short (but never short-changed) literature.
The Dog Catcher is recommended reading for anyone who likes their literature sharp, witty, and with the proverbial sting in the tail. Great stuff.
Simply Hell Let Loose -
Stories of
Australians at War
Published by ABC Books
 In 2001 the television documentary series called 'Australians at War' was broadcast on ABC Television (as part of the small barrage of Federation celebrations and remembrances). Commissioned by the Department of Veterans' Affairs, the series recounted the experiences of Australians in armed conflict from the Boer War to the varied United Nations peacekeeping duties we are involved in today.
Despite the plethora of traditional research material available (books, military records, newsreels, newspapers and photographs to name but some), the producers recognised that the key to presenting something worthwhile - that delved beneath the standard fare - was the personal stories of those who had been through war (whether on the home front or in the thick of battle).
So was launched The Great Search on ABC Radio, inviting veterans and their families to come forward with their memorabilia for inclusion in the series - each item coming with a story worthy of telling to a wider audience. It's these recollections that make up this new collection of stories Australians at War (also under the auspices of the Department of Veterans Affairs).
Among the short and poignant vignettes are the stories of such people as Aboriginal Private William Joseph Punch (who was the sole survivor of the massacre of his family in 1880, only to be killed fighting for his country), Isobel Anstee - of the Australian Women's Land Army - who worked in an all-important flax factory, and the twelve airmen who sailed from Java to Australia in an open boat to escape the Japanese (a journey that took 47 perilous days in a leaky boat through shark infested waters).
Simply Hell Let Loose is yet another welcome contribution to the overall picture of Australians at war. Where it differs from the current batch of such books is in its scale and intent. This isn't about individual heroes and amazing deeds (although there are more than a few of each); these are simply everyday stories of war by the personal voice of those who experienced the effects first hand.
If there's a complaint, it's that most are too short and could easily fill books of their own.
- Not all contributions from The Great Search could be included in the collection, many that couldn't fit are available online at www.australiansatwar.gov.au
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