The Lia Mendez trilogy, spans three generations of the Mendez-Kremzier and Heiman families, the paths of their lives intersected by the conflicts and changes which shaped Central Europe in the first half of the twentieth century. Of Exile and Yearning (2009) and Across the Burning (2010) are the first two books of the trilogy.

Set in the era when Europe’s thousand year thrust for universal fraternity detours into the Communist tyranny, Taking Wing follows an ordinary man and an extraordinary woman, Frederic and Lia, as they struggle to stay sane in the face of civic stupidity and individual evil.

Lia is called to open her arms to the difficult truth that has always been her pillar of fire. Frederic, as husband and father, strives to hold on to all that is real, and not be stifled by his natural scepticism. Their children, Regan, inheritor of a past of wonder and betrayal, fights for self-definition, and Mercedes, a child born wounded, seeks the source of healing within.

Taking Wing is a story about belonging and forsaking, the loss of all and the state of abandonment, and finally, the coming to nothing that turns out to be everything under another land’s new stars.

ISBN 9781920787202

Literary fiction

pb 233 x 151 mm

268 pages

$28.95

The Indonesian version of the book, Mereka Bilang Aku Cina: Jalan mendaki menjadi bagian Bangsa, is published by Bentang Pustaka, Yogyakarta, and was launched in Jakarta on 20 October 2010.

In his foreword to the English version, Associate Professor (Emeritus) Dr Charles A. Coppel, the University of Melbourne, states that:

Breaking the Stereotype … marks [Dewi's] first venture into biography, but we already know from the sub-title (‘Chinese Indonesian women tell their stories’) that this is another form of storytelling.

These are the stories of Chinese Indonesian women … [who] remained in Indonesia through the longue durée of the Suharto New Order with its discrimination against ethnic Chinese, suppression of public expression of Chineseness, and outbreaks of anti-Chinese violence.

Underlying and feeding into these phenomena were negative stereotypes of the ethnic Chinese. … In telling the stories of these Chinese Indonesian women, Dewi shows us something of the variety of their experience. In so doing, she is deliberately seeking to break the negative stereotype of the ethnic Chinese and to allow us to see these individuals in the context of their Chinese ethnicity and in their full humanity.

ISBN  9781920787196

Non-fiction

pb  210 x 138 mm

240 pp

Illustrations, Bibliography & Index

$(Au)34.95

Across the Burning is the second novel of the Lia Mendez trilogy, an epic which spans three generations of the Mendez-Kremzier and Heiman families, the paths of their lives intersected by the conflicts and changes which shaped Central Europe in the first half of the twentieth century.

Once enthralled by the grand vistas of travel, Frederic returns to Hungary as Europe is about to burst into the fire of World War II. He, a sharp and worldly non-believer, returns to Rudi Wolf, his soul friend, to Lia Mendez, his only love – his two Jewish friends now married, but still welcoming him as part of their life. With passion and loyalty to each other the three friends face the Nazi occupation.

A story of sensibility and identity, of exile, abandonment and returning to yourself.

Of Exile and Yearning, the first book of the trilogy, was released in September 2009.

ISBN   9781920787189

Literary fiction

pb  234 x 150 mm

290 pp

$29.95  

Catherine Hoffmann’s novel, Of Exile and Yearning, was released on 15 September 2009 by Indra Publishing.

Of Exile and Yearning is the first book of the Lia Mendez trilogy.

This epic novel is set in Europe from 1910 to the mid-1930s, exploring lives buffeted by the turbulent historical forces transforming central Europe from the last flourish of the Austro-Hungarian empire to the chilling build-up of the Second World War.

Lia and Frederic meet as children, never declare their love for one another, and yet remain inseparably bonded. From the comfort and security of her Jewish home, Lia chooses her own exile, with devastating effect on her family. Her journey is a personal spiritual quest. Frederic, neither Jewish nor religious, emphatically refuses commitment to any ideal or belief. For him, life is for adventure and travel, the quest for enjoyment, and never to be taken too seriously.

For the continuation of Lia and Frederic’s story, wait for Across the Burning, the second book of the trilogy, to be released in mid-2010.

Catherine’s three earlier works, Perilous Journey (1981), Crystal (1987) and Forms of Bliss (1988), were all published by Greenhouse Publications.

Writer/Director Euan Rose brought the story of Charlotte Badger – Buccaneer to life on stage at the Artrix Theatre, Bromsgrove at the end of October 2008. With packed house every night, the audiences enjoyed the musical comedy based on this real-life story.

For Indra’s author, Angela Badger – we believe a distant relative of Charlotte’s – meeting Euan, the cast and all the backstage people was as much a thrill as the growth in the UK sales of her novel, Charlotte Badger – Buccaneer.

For all who  missed out on a copy of the book, there are still some available. Booksellers in UK, Ireland and anywhere in Europe, order your stock from Gazelle Book Services in Lancaster. (see our Contact us or Ordering page). Distributors in North America, Asia, and Australia & New Zealand are also listed on those pages.

New Zealanders! Don’t miss this opportunity to read the story of the first white woman to live in New Zealand. This young Englishwoman, Charlotte Badger, transported with her baby to New South Wales for a petty crime, took command of a second transport ship which was taking her to the hell-holes of Van Diemens Land and set off across the Tasman with her fellow mutineers. 

Film producers! Euan Rose, who has several films to his credit as well as theatre productions, is writing the screenplay of Charlotte’s story. Please contact Indra Publishing on ian@indrabooks.com for more details and your expression of interest. We look forward to hearing from you.

Clearly there is still a real need for parents with transgender children for encouragement and guidance to help them understand and accept the radical path taken by their son or daughter.

With warmth, humour, and lots of love, Lynda survived the initial harrowing days and sleepless nights, enabling her to accept her son Tony’s transition to daughter Toni. Together with her husband and Tony’s younger brother, the whole family learnt to adjust as necessary, while coping with the usual problems of ageing parents, unemployment and family illness, experienced by all families. 

A special book for special families…

Lynda Langley, He’s My Daughter, Indra Publishing rrp $21.95

Available in Melbourne at Hares & Hyenas Bookshop, South Yarra and in Sydney, available at The Bookshop, Darlinghurst.

In The Midwest Book Review; Reviewer Carol Volk

Worm in the Bud, by June Duncan Owen is an engaging tale of a man called Lewis, and his peculiar despondence from his beloved wife and family upon approach of their wedding anniversary. Vividly granting the reader a superb perspective from the emotionally deprived on behalf of Lewis’ long suffering wife, Worm in the Bud details an incredible creative progression from first page to last as the reader feels more empathy, more truth in the personalities of the characters.

Documenting the storytelling talent and originality of author, June Duncan Owen, Worm in the Bud is very highly recommended reading, particular those who favor a mildly thrilling mystery for its intuitive and eccentric style and its unique story.    

In Eureka Street, 28 March 2008

An antidote to blokish certainties on religion

When I think of people talking about religions, I see blokes in  dark suits … They may be for religion in general, or against all religions, or for their own religion and against others. But they are all dead earnest, and succeed in making religion seem both strange and incomprehensible to us amateurs.

So this unpretentious collection of interviews is welcome in its simplicity and artlessness. The editor arranged to have adherents of many religious groups interviewed. They were asked to reply to simple questions about their beliefs, their religious practices and symbols, their ethical framework and their attitude to contemporary Australian society. They are amiable and leisurely in their replies.

The question posed in the title of this book – whether God lives in the burbs – remains hanging. The participants, whether from mainline Churches, Eastern religious traditions or more modern beliefs, are articulate but use words that find common ground with readers unfamiliar with their beliefs. They invite others into a world in which their distinctive beliefs and practices are everyday, not strange. They do a much better job of communicating than most of the professionals in their groups.

***

These stories of ordinary believers are striking for two apparently conflicting reasons. First, they hang together. People’s faith, religious symbols and daily lives appear to be part of a coherent whole. Whether or not their religious leaders would agree with the large picture they present, they find it persuasive and workable.

… most striking in most of the accounts is that they are open-ended and contain happily unresolved questions. The believers take their faith seriously, but wrestle with how they are to live in a world where their convictions are a minority taste. Almost all of them are positive in the way they see people with different convictions. They recognise that they drift in the same boat.

***

Although the people interviewed in this book come across as religious people, they appeal more strongly as people you might like to have living next door. They are ordinary people in whose life religious faith and practice seem helpful. They also appear to be good and even nice people, if niceness suggests that their goodness is ordinary.

***

 In Sydney Morning Herald, 15 March 2008

This overview of 23 religions in Australia uses a simple technique. Find an ordinary person (i.e. not a theologian) who is practising a particular religion, ask them intelligent questions (history, beliefs, values, rituals, meaning of God) about their faith and then transcribe and edit the interview so it represents a fair statement of the religion through the eyes of an ordinary believer.

***

Bloom offers no commentary and, typically, lets the interviewees range freely across their chosen faith.

***

This is a rare and unusual insight into religion in modern, secular Australia.

***

This soft covered book of 250 pages is a genuine record of face-to-face interviews and thoughts of ex-POWs, loved ones and Veterans. The authors, both senior journalists (the former a Japanese), interviewed some 40 people who knew personally of events in fighting the Japanese in WWII and have direct contact with another 100. Some never thought they would tolerate having a Japanese in their homes – they will never forget or forgive the atrocities of the Japs.

The contrasting views are understandable and highlight the thought that the Japanese are still fighting the 100 year war – conquering by economic means – and some examples certainly make one think! Others spell out their hate with convincing reasoning. The lack of a formal apology to Australia will keep grievances alive.

***

As the Japanese keep dragging their feet on coming to terms with the terrors against Australia in the 1940s, such books can only assist in educating the young – both Japanese and Australian. An excellent read – buy a copy for the teenagers!

The interviews in this Australian book provide an indirect insight into the beliefs of ordinary Americans and Britons.

Non-fiction category: Sociology, religion
Paperback;346 pp
First Edition; 210 x 138 mm
ISBN: 9781920787165;  November 2007
RRP/List Price: Australia: $(Aus)34.95; New Zealand: $(NZ)37.95: North America: $(US)30.00

The Author, Myer Bloom, lives in Melbourne, and researches in the sociology of religion. Past work includes: