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''Here,' he shouted, 'here is a daughter of the working class. Not your idle rich dressed in silks and satins. She has to work every day. Tell them what you think of capitalism,' he insisted, still gripping my hand. 'Tell them what it's like to be a poor woman in grinding employment.'
'In the violent and despairing years of Australia's Great Depression, Judith Larsen grows up on a coaling hulk in the Port Adelaide River. The Australian political landscape is changing and unemployment, hunger, protests and police reprisals spawn new radical ideas for managing society.
'Judith falls in love with Harry, an idealistic dreamer who embraces the dogma of the Communist Party while she flourishes as a satirical cartoonist. Political tensions rise between them but when Harry's life is threatened Judith embarks on a perilous journey across the world to save him. In doing so she comes face to face with the cruelty and oppression of fascism and the importance of those who fight against it.
'Drawn from family recollections and based on historical events, this powerful Australian novel tells of brave people caught up in the inspiration and the pity of great but lost causes.' (Publication summary)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
-
Idealism and Guns
2016
single work
essay
— Appears in: Antipodes , June vol. 30 no. 1 2016; (p. 230-231) 'The particular tensions of the community reflect how people would react anywhere to the threat of economic security. [...]each public protest against the constraints placed on the community ends in confusion at best and violence in the most extreme cases. While Judith tries to feel empowered through her artwork, once again her efforts ultimately prove ineffectual in the long term. [...]the book raises concerns over the value of art during economic hardships as Judith herself begins to question whether art can influence material conditions during trying times.' (Publication abstract) -
Book Review : Hunger Town
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: Good Reading , June 2015; (p. 39)
— Review of Hunger Town : A Novel 2014 single work novel -
Well Read
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 27 June 2015; (p. 32)
— Review of An Ordinary Epidemic 2015 single work novel ; Hunger Town : A Novel 2014 single work novel -
Wendy Scarfe, Hunger Town
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: Transnational Literature , May vol. 7 no. 2 2015;
— Review of Hunger Town : A Novel 2014 single work novel
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Wendy Scarfe, Hunger Town
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: Transnational Literature , May vol. 7 no. 2 2015;
— Review of Hunger Town : A Novel 2014 single work novel -
Well Read
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 27 June 2015; (p. 32)
— Review of An Ordinary Epidemic 2015 single work novel ; Hunger Town : A Novel 2014 single work novel -
Book Review : Hunger Town
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: Good Reading , June 2015; (p. 39)
— Review of Hunger Town : A Novel 2014 single work novel -
Idealism and Guns
2016
single work
essay
— Appears in: Antipodes , June vol. 30 no. 1 2016; (p. 230-231) 'The particular tensions of the community reflect how people would react anywhere to the threat of economic security. [...]each public protest against the constraints placed on the community ends in confusion at best and violence in the most extreme cases. While Judith tries to feel empowered through her artwork, once again her efforts ultimately prove ineffectual in the long term. [...]the book raises concerns over the value of art during economic hardships as Judith herself begins to question whether art can influence material conditions during trying times.' (Publication abstract)