The issue here is the divide betwen the literary mainstream and popular literature. A number of the academics at ANU(Canberra) with whom I have discussed issues relating to Ballard would certainly agree that Ballard has entered the English literary canon. However, simply because an author might be regarded as canonical, it does not follow that the public will follow. I have seen posts on some sf-fan websites that are vigourously opposed to their beloved genre having anything to do with literature (Sorry, I did not keep details of the websites as the commentary contained was to puerile for me to even consider referencing).

I think the argument I am trying to put is that I think Diane Johnson is correct: the problem is that in Australia the great reading public are not interested. Given the current socio-political climate in Australia I would also suggest that the situation is unlikely to change for the better in the foreseeable future, and may indeed worsen with the gung-ho approaches to censorship currently being pursued.

Promoting Ballard may be more difficult than it appears. Works such as Crash and The Atrocity Exhibition are wilfully provocational, and such a stance is increasingly less tolerated in the arts in Australia. There is a rather more scope for debate in the UK, Europe and the US.