Offering a sweeping view of Australian writing since colonialism, Jean-François Vernay’s A Brief Take on the Australian Novel presents a unique and insightful perspective on Australian literature.
Written from an outsider’s perspective, this single-authored overview will appeal to readers through its playful, jargon-free and potentially contentious account of the Australian novel. Like a film narrator, he speaks directly to the reader, offering close-ups on particular works alongside panoramic views of the literary landscape.
One can imagine the reader as part of an audience in a darkened cinema, absorbed in exciting action on the silver screen. Grab the popcorn, sit back and let the story of Australian literature roll …
Born of an Australian mother and a French father, Jean-François Vernay grew up in New Caledonia’s multicultural community which shares some of Australia’s characteristics, including a convict heritage and a complex history of settlement. He holds a PhD from the Université Toulouse-Le Mirail, France.
Using Peter Carey and Christopher Koch as a starting point, Dr Vernay has been researching Australian fiction for 20 years and has published widely in the field, both in French and in English. An energetic critic, editor, creative writer and cultural commentator, his fiction and nonfiction books have appeared in France, Australia and in the United States.
Dr Vernay is also the author of Water From the Moon: Illusion and Reality in the Works of Australian Novelist Christopher Koch (Cambria Press, 2007), and The Seduction of Fiction (Palgrave Macmillan, forthcoming in 2016).
“A Brief Take on the Australian Novel will open up new reading choices and shows in a lively, engaged manner the diversity, vigour and relevance of the Australian novel.” – Mike Shuttleworth, Readings
A Brief Take on the Australian Novel is published by Wakefield Press and is available from all good booksellers.
Image: A Brief Take on the Australian Novel – courtesy of Wakefield Press