Author Description

<ul><li>Introducing an exciting and original new voice in Australian literature </li><li>Drawing inspiration from some of literature's greatest voices, including Chekhov, Dostoyevsky and Freud, Takolander's stories are a revelation. Rich and varied, they speak to the great and sometimes terrifying depths of human nature</li><li>'Extraordinary. I was entranced. Takolander's stories have a remarkable concentration of vision; their images are haunting and powerful, and will remain with me for a long time.' Jeremy Chambers</li><li>International in flavour and diverse in style, the stories in <i>The Double</i> are unifed by a psychological intensity, even claustrophobia, that Takolander creates for her characters. They are guaranteed to get under your skin </li><li>Maria was the recipient of the Australia Council New Work Grant for an Emerging Writer in 2011 and the winner of the inaugural Australian Book Review Short Story Prize in 2010. Her previous works of poetry have also been shortlisted for the QLD Premier's Literary Award and the inaugural Australian Book Review Poetry Prize</li><li>The title story will be featured in the <i>Australian Review of Fiction</i> in May 2013 </li><li>Author lives in Geelong </li></ul>