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They're A Weird Mob: Text Classics
They're A Weird Mob: Text Classics | Nino Culotta
4 posts | 3 read | 1 to read
Just off the boat from Italy, Nino Culotta arrives in Sydney. He thought he spoke English but he's never heard anything like the language these Australians are speaking. They're a Weird Mob is an hilarious snapshot of the immigrant experience in Menzies-era Australia, by a writer with a brilliant ear for the Australian way with words. Introduction by Jacinta Tynan. John O'Grady (Nino Culotta) was born in Waverley on 9 October 1907. He wrote for most of his adult life, but did not publish a book until he dreamed up They're a Weird Mob to win a bet. He was fifty when it came out. It remains one of the most successful titles in Australian publishing history. In 1959 he published his famous comic poem 'The Integrated Adjective', better known as 'Tumba Bloody Rumba' in the Bulletin. He died in Sydney in 1981. Jacinta Tynan is an author, columnist for Sunday Life, and news presenter on Sky News. Her first book, Good Man Hunting, a memoir about looking for love, earned her the accolade 'Australia's answer to Carrie Bradshaw'. Her second book, Some Girls Do: My Life as a Teenager is an anthology of female authors writing the true story of their adolescence. Jacinta is regarded as a commentator for her generation. textclassics.com.au 'A riotous comedy.' Age '...a rollicking comedy about an Italian journalist in Fifties Australia trying to get his head around the natives' vernacular. Anybody who has the subtitles on for Kath & Kim will get the joke.' Telegraph 'Nino Culotta encouraged Australians to laugh at themselves, while providing a walloping hint for the 'New Australians' who were gracing our shores: 'Get yourself accepted...and you will enter a world that you never dreamed existed,' he wrote. 'And once you have entered it, you will never leave it.' The book remains just as relevant today: Weird Mob is about good people trying to make a go of things. With its rollicking and affectionate humour, it showcases our manners, our wit and our distinctive vernacular - where 'they open their mouths no more than is absolutely necessary'.' Jacinta Tynan
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MariettaSG
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Super fast, super funny, super easy read. My mother for years was convinced Australians really liked onions ‘good onion, Mum!‘ But yes, as a migrant whose father was a carpenter on arriving to Australia this book gave me a tonne of laughs and nostalgia , it‘s very true to the migrant experience even that of the late 70s, early 80s, the Oz lingo was hard to follow. A lot of dinner time conversations about what things mean. See ya round, good onya!

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DamoM
Mehso-so

An Italian immigrant in Australia of the 1960s. Entertaining and looking at life and society from a different angle, but a bit dated now

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Oblomov26
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Favourite Hobby: Traveling, gaming, procrastinating
Favourite Drink: Coffee (black and sweet), Whiskey
Favourite Food: Char Kwai Teow, Ramen, Ploughmans lunch
Favourite Colour: blue
#asidefrombooks
Favourite City: London, Granada, Istanbul
Dream house location: Granada with a view of the Alhambra
Favourite Accessory: IPhone
Favourite TV show: Rick and Morty, Firefly
Last movie I watched in theatres: GotG2
Currently reading: The Silk Roads

Bookzombie I didn't count procrastinating as a hobby, but I'm great at it! 😉 7y
britt_brooke iPhone as the accessory is perfect! 😆👏🏻 7y
PenguinInFlight I LOVE Firefly!! 😍 7y
78 likes3 comments
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Sue

Shout out to my Aussie peeps. I'm curious about how many of us are hanging on Litsy. I know there is at least one (waves at @Trav ) 😁

TeR Yup! Aussie here.... 8y
Sue Yay, hi @TeR 8y
Gayan I'm just an insomniac from Kentucky. 🙋🏼 8y
See All 19 Comments
Jhullie Queenslander 👋 8y
Oblomov26 Yep - Sydney via Newcastle. Often found stalking Abbeys Bookstore and Kinokuniya 8y
Trav Yessss!!! *waves back frantically* 8y
Trav @Oblomov26 Kinokuniya is the greatest! 8y
Keryntalia Yup - I'm in Newcastle. Seconding (thirding?) the love for Kinokuniya - one of my absolute favourite bookshops. 8y
Oblomov26 Kinokuniya is very close to where I work - the temptation to "just have a quick look" can be overwhelming 8y
Gillyreads Sydney here :) 8y
Sue @Jhullie @Keryntalia @Gillyreads @Oblomov26 @TeR Nice to meet you all! I'm jealous of those of you who are local to Abbey. I haven't heard of the other bookstore but it looks awesome. I'm in Brisbane and my closest bookstore is QBD (ie nothing fancy) 8y
Sue @Gayan you're welcome to be an honorary Aussie during your insomniac hours :) 8y
Oblomov26 @Gayan yes as an occasional insomniac here I understand and welcome you to honorary Aussie status 😉 8y
thegirlwiththelibrarybag Melbourne (aka the worlds most liveable city) 🙋🏻 8y
Gayan Thank you so much @Oblomov26 and @Sue . I rarely sleep more than a few hours at a time. 8y
TeR Hi Aussie peeps! I do love Kinokuniya as they carry sooo much. But my favourite is Dymocks😀 8y
TeR @LittleBookOwl has a great video book blog! 8y
MariettaSG Hi Sue, still on here? I notice this post was from 6 years ago, hello from Melbourne! 2y
Sue Hi @MariettaSG ! I‘m not here as much but still around! Nice to meet you!! 2y
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