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'“I woke with a gasp. And lay in the dark, open-mouthed, holding my breath. That feeling ... that feeling was indescribable. For a moment I had felt as if I were falling ... falling into bliss.”
'All his life, Richard Kline has been haunted by a sense that something is lacking. He envies the ease with which some people slip – seemingly unquestioningly – into contented suburban life or the pursuit of wealth.
'As he moves into middle age, Richard grows increasingly angry. But then a strange event awakens him to a different way of living. He finds himself on a quest, almost against his own will, to resolve the 'divine discontent' he has suffered since childhood. From pharmaceuticals to new age therapies and finding a guru, Richard's journey dramatises the search for meaning in today's world.
'This moving and audacious novel is a pilgrim's progress for the here and now. Suffused with yearning and a sense of the mystical, this extraordinary novel is one of Lohrey's finest offerings yet.' (Publication summary)
Notes
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Epigraph: All our scientific and philosophic ideals are altars to unknown gods. –William James, Varieties of Religious Experience
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Also large print.
Works about this Work
- y A Short History of Richard Kline by Amanda Lohrey Melbourne : CAE Book Group , 2015 9463588 2015 single work criticism
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Review : A Short History of Richard Kline
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Monthly , May no. 111 2015; (p. 73)
— Review of A Short History of Richard Kline : A Novel 2015 single work novel -
A Soulful Longing
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: Sydney Review of Books , April 2015;
— Review of A Short History of Richard Kline : A Novel 2015 single work novel -
Review : A Short History of Richard Kline
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 7 March 2015;
— Review of A Short History of Richard Kline : A Novel 2015 single work novel -
A Short History of Richard Kline : Review
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 28 March 2015; (p. 19)
— Review of A Short History of Richard Kline : A Novel 2015 single work novel
-
Review : A Short History of Richard Kline
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: Books + Publishing , vol. 94 no. 3 2015; (p. 21)
— Review of A Short History of Richard Kline : A Novel 2015 single work novel -
Sense of Yearning Creates Space for Allegory
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 7-8 March 2015; (p. 16-17)
— Review of A Short History of Richard Kline : A Novel 2015 single work novel -
Fifty Shades of Spirituality
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 7 March 2015; (p. 18)
— Review of A Short History of Richard Kline : A Novel 2015 single work novel 'While the subject of sex is no longer taboo, that of our spiritual journeys remains hidden in the closet...' -
Hauntings
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , March no. 369 2015; (p. 37)
— Review of A Short History of Richard Kline : A Novel 2015 single work novel -
From the Other Side of Restless Disillusionment
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 21-22 March 2015; (p. 35) The Canberra Times , 21 March 2015; (p. 22)
— Review of A Short History of Richard Kline : A Novel 2015 single work novel - y A Short History of Richard Kline by Amanda Lohrey Melbourne : CAE Book Group , 2015 9463588 2015 single work criticism
Awards
- 2016 longlisted The Stella Prize
- 2015 shortlisted Queensland Literary Awards — Fiction Book Award
- 2015 shortlisted Tasmania Book Prizes — Margaret Scott Prize