Series: Classic Australian Works

Lucinda Brayford (1946) chronicles three generations of an Anglo-Australian family around the turn of the twentieth century and contrasts both Australian and English societies. The novel offers a rich tapestry that explores the intricate dynamics between two cultures as they evolve over time. Boyd’s narrative weaves together the complexities of familial bonds, societal expectations, and the personal ambitions that drive...

The Glass Canoe The Glass Canoe by David Ireland is a classic work of Australian literature. It centres around the pub—a refuge where male workers aggressively shelter from their wives, their work, and their everyday lives. This 1976 novel offers a graphic illustration of the alienation of labour under modern industrial capitalism, providing insights into the suburbs surrounding Australian cities....

The Impersonators portrays the breakdown of family relationships and the endurance of love in a materialistic age sensitively, perceptively, and humorously. When Sylvia Foley returns to Australia after twenty years, she finds her father, Jack Cornock, ill. This and his obstinate silence provoke speculation about his will among the families of his two marriages. Sylvia becomes enmeshed in the webs...

The Pioneers won the Hodder and Stoughton All Empire Literature Prize for Australasia in 1915, awarding its author one thousand pounds and the opportunity to launch her career as a creative writer. The book is set in Gippsland and is based on the author's experiences from her time there. The Pioneers was filmed twice, once in 1916 and once in...

Trap (1966) won the Miles Franklin Literary Award when it was published. Its comic and satiric elements and use of several narrative voices provide revealing interpretations of cross-cultural relations, bureaucracy, and politics in Australia. Peter Mathers was born in England in 1931 and came to Australia with his family as a child. From 1964 to 1967, he worked in Britain...