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The Australian

By Emma Smith-Stevens
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Brief Description
A young man known as 'the Australian' journeys between New York and Melbourne on a quest of self-discovery in this poignant exploration of loneliness, love, and fatherhood. In her humorous and emotionally resonant debut, Emma Smith-Stevens follows the exploits and evolution of a young man known... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A young man known as 'the Australian' journeys between New York and Melbourne on a quest of self-discovery in this poignant exploration of loneliness, love, and fatherhood.

In her humorous and emotionally resonant debut, Emma Smith-Stevens follows the exploits and evolution of a young man known only as 'the Australian' over the course of a dozen years, from his time posing for tourist photos as Superman to his life in New York, chasing fame and fortune.

Married to a woman he barely knows and struggling to forge a relationship with his son, the Australian travels between the US and Melbourne, seeking to reconnect with his deceased parents through his father's Australian Outdoor Geographic magazines and the Dreaming Tracks, sacred landmarks his mother longed to explore.

Through this quest for self-discovery, the Australian becomes both more and less enigma: 'the idea of this guy you could find in any city, a hostel anywhere in the world, smiling, suntanned, hauling a backpack.' A poignant and at times satirical meditation on masculinity, fatherhood, isolation, New York City, fame, and loss, The Australian examines the human tendency to fall in love with the idea of another person and the importance of knowing one's essential nature.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781938603297

Publisher: Dzanc Books

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 03 July 2025

Country: United States

Imprint: Dzanc Books

Illustration: Illustrations

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Weight: 250g

Pages: 184

Collections

Emma Smith-Stevens Fiction General Fiction Humour Literary Fiction New Zealand and Australia Published

About the Author

Emma Smith-Stevens's writing has appeared in BOMB Magazine, Lit Hub, Conjunctions, Subtropics, the Evergreen Review, and the New York Times bestselling, Lambda Literary Award-winning anthology Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture (Ed. Roxane Gay), among others. She has taught at the University of Florida, Santa Fe College, and the Bard Prison Initiative. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

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