As dead as

The misrepresentations of the Mauritian dodo

Featured in

  • Published 20231107
  • ISBN: 978-1-922212-89-4
  • Extent: 208pp
  • Paperback, ePub, PDF, Kindle compatible

A COUPLE OF years ago a friend recommended that I listen to ‘Strange Fowle’, an episode of Marc Fennell’s podcast Stuff the British Stole. One evening, after fumbling with my earphones and my app, I got the podcast going while I trudged down the main road near my house. A few minutes in, I began to cry.

Podcasts are often moving. I listened to Serial and Believe with my heart in my throat. The cruelties of The Teacher’s Pet, Dirty John and Sweet Bobby often came with the force of a physical blow. But I was blindsided by my strong emotional reaction to ‘Strange Fowle’. Despite the weighty topic of the series – colonisation and British imperialism – I had not expected it.

Already a subscriber? Sign in here

If you are an educator or student wishing to access content for study purposes please contact us at griffithreview@griffith.edu.au

Share article

More from author

Speaking my language

Non-fictionMY AUNTIE HAS stopped speaking to her siblings. Rifts like these are commonplace in my family, where people fall out with each other like...

More from this edition

Easy rider

In ConversationMy first bull-riding job was a portrait of a young rider named Ian ‘Irish’ Molan from Cork, Ireland, for the upcoming event in Darwin that weekend. I attended the event that weekend and photographed behind the scenes and focused on Ian Molan in action. When it was the Irishman’s turn, he was thrown off the bull, who stomped on the rider’s chest repeatedly. I thought Ian was going to die. The bull was relentless.

Narratives of the natural world

In ConversationAll kinds of interpretation are a form of fiction. These are fictions that we need in order to connect with the larger environment. When our current thinking has failed to make us think of ways to connect with the environment, art may be the only way we can have access to new ways to think about where we are in relation to the environment. 

Talking to turtles 

Non-fictionEighteen years ago, I moved to a seaside village on Cape Cod on the north-eastern shore of the United States. Finding the ocean there too dangerous, I swam in ponds. I waded through mud the consistency of yoghurt ever on the lookout for fifty- and sixty-pound snapping turtles. I dove in, swam and got out as fast as possible.

Stay up to date with the latest, news, articles and special offers from Griffith Review.