This volume breaks new ground in the field of postcolonial studies. It deconstructs a self-sufficient "Anglo-Australian" national identity, shedding light on the intense and sustained efforts of Australian writers to help Australia define itself. Australians' self-definition as a post-colonial and multicultural society stands opposed to the traditional view of predominantly "white" British origins, and a society aiming at cultural homogeneity. The book also focuses on the unique experience of Australian landscape and nature, a major subject of Australian writing since the nineteenth century and a theme that has never lost it topicality and irresistible appeal. Writing in Australia is a must for anyone embarking on this new terrain in literary study.