Portable Australian Authors: Marcus Clarke by Michael Wilding (ed.)
This volume not only reprints the full texts of Clarke's convict classic For the Term of His Natural Life but also includes fascinating background material to this novel. Some of his historical Old Tales of a Young Country and his famous account of the Australian bush from the Adam Lindsey Gordon essay, for example show how Clarke developed and fictionalized his sources. And reprinted for the first time is the complete text of his eyewitness report of visiting Port Arthur convict settlement.
As well as a novelist Clarke was a prolific and provocative story writer, essayist, and journalist. This varied selection contains the significant core of his short stories including the controversial Pretty Dick, experimental fantasies such as Cannabis Indica, and outback tales that foreshadow Lawson. Clarke appears in the full context of a man of letters, with his critical essays on writers like Balzac, Dickens, Bret Harte who influenced him and his Australian contemporaries, and with his essay on Christianity which caused an intellectual furore. The memoir of his bohemian days, The Cafe Lutetia, and the autobiographical stories Holiday Peak, Human Repetends, and La Beguine provide vivid insights into Clarke and the life he lived.
Michale Wilding's comprehensive introduction surveys Clarke's life and times and the wide range of his work.
Format: Hardback | 687 pages
Dimensions (cm): 19 x 12.1 x 4.4 | 704g
Publication Date: 1976
Publisher: University of Queensland Press
Publication City/Country: St. Lucia, QLD, Australia
Language: English
ISBN10: 0702211710
ISBN13: 9780702211713
Condition: Good
A vintage book that has been read but is in good condition. Very minimal damage to the cover including very, very minor scuff marks along the edges, and 3 small suff marks on the inside of the back cover, but no holes or tears. The dust jacket is included and in good condition (minor scuff marks and scratches, and a small tear on the top-left corner of the front cover). The majority of pages are undamaged with no creasing or tearing, no pencil underlining of text, no highlighting of text and no writing in margins. Some pages have minor discolouring around the edges. No missing pages.