AustLit

'‘Under a bright Australian sun, the fascinating tale of a European life comes to light. In a sequence of incisive poems, Belinda Broughton narrates the voice of Ervin Janek – Hungarian artist and poet, son of a nun and ‘a certain Jewish man’ – who makes his ‘own path’ out of abandonment and poverty, through streets where he can hold his own against cheats and bullies, and into the wider world of exotic experience. Broughton revels in the linguistic portrayal of a character whose de-prived childhood, forced Hitler Youth attendance, flirtation with monastic life, horse riding for a bar-oness, and incarceration under Soviet control builds towards the pivotal uprising of 1956. In poems crafted with humour and sensitivity, Broughton journeys with the character of Janek across the hippie trail to bring the refugee sparrow home to the provenance of the kookaburra. All through the roller-coaster ride, this riveting story will ensnare you’ – Kate Deller-Evans' (Publication summary)