Australia

Lamenting Crocodile Dundee, the swaggering movie bushman who succeeded in ""charming millions abroad while embarrassing many Australians,"" editor Ross seeks to offer a more authentic introduction to the vast nation-continent of Australia. Containing stories set in nearly every corner of the country, the collection provides an ethnically diverse group of writers, as well as a cross section of Australian literary history. Patrick White, Australia's only Nobel Prize winner, turns in one of the collection's best stories in ""The O'Dowds at Home,"" a tense vision of domestic hostility set in desolate bush country. Peter Carey's ""American Dreams"" offers a sly critique of life in a tourist town, while Janette Turner Hospital's ""You Gave Me Hyacinths"" is a touching, unsentimental glimpse into Australian teenage life. ""Thomas Awkner Floats"" by Tim Winton conveys the powerful uneasiness of a simple man on his first plane ride, a feeling matched by David Malouf's ""A Medium,"" which depicts a boy's encounter with a spiritualist. A great drop-off in literary quality follows these stories, however, and the selection of aboriginal myth included here seems awkwardly transposed from its oral roots. While this collection may not present the absolute best that exists in Australian writing, it does create a more intimate portrait than American popular imagery usually provides. (July) FYI: Other countries visited in Whereabouts' Traveler's Literary Companion series include Costa Rica, Prague, Vietnam, Israel and Greece.