Gail Jones is one of Australia's most celebrated writers. She is the author of two short-story collections and nine novels, and her work has been translated into several languages. She has received numerous literary awards, including the Prime Minister's Literary Award, the Age Book of the Year, the South Australian Premier's Award, the ALS Gold Medal and the Kibble Award, and has been shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award, the International Dublin Literary Award and the Prix Femina tranger. Originally from Western Australia, she now lives in Sydney.
‘Gail Jones has to be one of Australia’s most consistently impressive writers. Her prose is evocative, her plots meaningful and her characters drawn with considerable care…[Salonika Burning] is just as reliably lush, moving and literary as everything else she’s written.’ * Guardian * ‘Enthralling…[Jones] is one of Australia’s most distinguished and highly awarded writers…The writing is exquisitely balanced and tender, coloured by sadness, dread and a touch of tragic irony.’ * Carmel Bird, Saturday Paper * ‘Elegant and intensely ruminative…Jones’s language in Salonika Burning is at once muscular and delicate, her narrative precise yet impressionistic…Jones has written some fine novels…but none finer than Salonika Burning.’ * Australian Book Review * ‘Elegantly written and precisely structured.’ * Age * ‘An intoxicating flight of fancy.’ * Australian Women’s Weekly * ‘Extraordinary writing…Striking images of both the beauty and horror of a burned city.’ * ABC RN Bookshelf * ‘For decades, Gail Jones has been writing with more intelligence, verve and sensuous delight in the world than most of her peers…[A] meditation—couched in prose at once lavish and rigorously controlled—on the ways in which conflict can unmake the world and leave us scattered and cruelly isolated from one another.’ * Geordie Williamson, Saturday Paper * ‘This novel is nuanced and complex, beautifully written, and gently savage as it navigates grief, memory, a burning city and a collection of war workers whose jobs were care and solace rather than killing.’ * ABC Arts * ‘Jones writes about gender and trauma with her trademark gentle touch…Profound.’ * Bec Kavanagh, Guardian * ‘Fans of Jones’s gift with words will appreciate this moving, poetic and meditative tribute to war, suffering, fortitude and the human spirit. It is worth reading, not least to uncover enchanting examples of the inspired way Jones uses descriptive language, many of which will resonate long after the final page.’ * Books+Publishing * ‘In her exquisite ninth novel, Gail Jones demonstrates, once again, why she is widely regarded as one of Australia’s finest novelists working today.’ * West Australian * ‘Salonika Burning continues Jones’ narrative searching for what rises up from engulfing loss and also the troubling, necessary role of art as imaginative witness…Extraordinary.’ * Conversation * ‘[Gail Jones] captures the reader instantly with her rhapsodical perspective of fire…[Salonika Burning] is lyrically intense, original and savagely evocative.’ * SA Weekend * ‘Gail Jones once again showcases her talent for writing memorable characters and poignant storylines…Lyrical and reflective…The language is just exquisite throughout and Jones’s ability to reveal devastating truths and describe horrific scenes in beautiful language is both disarming and comforting. She is a talented author and her fans will not be disappointed.’ * Good Reading * ‘A superbly written tale about the fragility of existence and the realities of war…The circular, impressionistic structure of this book enhances the narrative and will hook keen readers…Truly unique.’ * ArtsHub * ‘A visceral account that connects Greece and Australia through the atrocities of war…The author’s words dig deep, her intimate and direct descriptions take the reader on a journey…[Jones] brings together historical events with fiction, through captivating prose and a plot that evokes one image after the other.’ * Neos Kosmos * ‘Gail Jones once again showcases her talent for writing memorable characters and poignant storylines…The mettle and fortitude of these characters burn brighter than any fire, bringing to light the selfless acts of those who toil behind the scenes, for they are the backbone of success and perseverance in the face of chaos.’ * Readings *