'Are you sure you're cut out for this?' The question was put to the author in the fields of girls, commerce, teaching, advertising, film and radio, and in all of them the answer was no. Only in literature did he manage to come good. Incompetence is the leitmotif of
Mug Shots, and the result is the funniest memoir since Clive James's unreliable ones.
Mug Shots is the autobiography of prize-winning novelist and playwright Barry Oakley, now eighty, from his Catholic childhood and education in Melbourne.
Praise for Mug Shots:
'From humble beginnings to liquid lunches and several awards, Oakley’s memoir brings to light the highs and lows of an important period in Australian literary history in an honest, witty and frustrating read from one of Australia’s master wordsmiths. 4 stars.' - Bianca Rohlje,
Arts Hub
'Every library should have this book.' - Peter Craven, the
Age and
Sydney Morning Herald
'Thoroughly enjoyable due to its heart, witty social commentary, mood, lyricism and amusing dialogue - as well as the funny anecdotes which left indelible images.' - Stephen Davenport,
Indaily
'... this highly readable memoir abounds with his verbal virtuosity, irreverence and wit ... If only more autobiographies were as candid, refreshing and witty.' - Peter Pinne,
Stage Whispers
'This is a multi-layered memoir and Oakley’s real success lies in the deftness with which he interweaves life stories that are alternately sad, witty, poignant, nostalgic, jaded, and sometimes tragic or occasionally damning.
Mug Shots would be an excellent starting point for any syllabus that addresses the social, cultural and literary influences in post-war Australia.' - Eleni Pavlides,
Transnational Literature, Vol 6, no. 1, Nov 2013
Barry Oakley is a playwright and novelist whose fiction includes the bestselling
A Salute to the Great McCarthy and the prize-winning
Let's Hear it for Prendergast. He has also written numerous plays, short stories, columns and articles. Barry Oakley has worked as a teacher, copywriter, zoo attendant, theatre critic and literary editor. He lives in the Blue Mountains.
