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'Fat of the Land charts three generations of South Australian merchants who move between Adelaide, London and their mining company in New Caledonia. The original partners are Thomas Rutland, a bluff Bedford farm boy with a beautiful voice and ambitions to found a dynasty and Robert Grahame, a dour Scot and pastoralist. We see his son, John Grahame, take over the reins of the growing empire and guide it through hard times despite the tragedies in his personal life, only to hand over to a man of the new breed, Victor Godwin, to whom the actual business of the company means little other than the satisfaction of his own lust for money, power and flesh.
'In a novel which sweeps from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day, it becomes clear that even the best of business interests have their roots in exploitation, not only of natural resourcs but of the women who love the men at the top.' (Publication summary)
Notes
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Dedication: To my daughter Harriet.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Australian Fantasies
2009
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Messengers of Eros : Representations of Sex in Australian Writing 2009; (p. 81-95)'Australian culture is frequently described as materialistic, hedonistic and fun-loving, and no doubt it is, in some respects, all those things. The 'land of the long week-end', its 'great stupor' perhaps, even the 'lucky country' - all these more or less flattering tags suggest, sometimes in the face of what their authors intended, that nothing can go seriously wrong in Australia, where life cannot be but easy-going and enjoyable. And so it would appear that, as Craig McGregor observed, 'the Australian race is engaged in a whole-hearted pursuit of happiness without guilt. The beach, in particular, has been for several decades one of the major symbols of the Australian way of life, the locus of Australian hedonism, where people worship the sun, display their near-naked bodies, and ogle other people's...' (p. 81)
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Risky Business Proves Greed Isn't Always Good
1998
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 28 November 1998; (p. 10)
— Review of Fat of the Land 1998 single work novel -
Taking Stock
1998
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , November no. 206 1998; (p. 34-35)
— Review of Fat of the Land 1998 single work novel -
Fortune and Family's Eyes
1998
single work
column
biography
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 13 October vol. 117 no. 6144 1998; (p. 76) -
Myth of the Man Alone
1998
single work
criticism
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 29 August 1998; (p. 7)
-
Taking Stock
1998
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , November no. 206 1998; (p. 34-35)
— Review of Fat of the Land 1998 single work novel -
Risky Business Proves Greed Isn't Always Good
1998
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 28 November 1998; (p. 10)
— Review of Fat of the Land 1998 single work novel -
Australian Fantasies
2009
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Messengers of Eros : Representations of Sex in Australian Writing 2009; (p. 81-95)'Australian culture is frequently described as materialistic, hedonistic and fun-loving, and no doubt it is, in some respects, all those things. The 'land of the long week-end', its 'great stupor' perhaps, even the 'lucky country' - all these more or less flattering tags suggest, sometimes in the face of what their authors intended, that nothing can go seriously wrong in Australia, where life cannot be but easy-going and enjoyable. And so it would appear that, as Craig McGregor observed, 'the Australian race is engaged in a whole-hearted pursuit of happiness without guilt. The beach, in particular, has been for several decades one of the major symbols of the Australian way of life, the locus of Australian hedonism, where people worship the sun, display their near-naked bodies, and ogle other people's...' (p. 81)
-
Myth of the Man Alone
1998
single work
criticism
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 29 August 1998; (p. 7) -
Fortune and Family's Eyes
1998
single work
column
biography
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 13 October vol. 117 no. 6144 1998; (p. 76)
- New Caledonia, South Pacific, Pacific Region,
- Adelaide, South Australia,
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London,
cEngland,ccUnited Kingdom (UK),cWestern Europe, Europe,
- 1900-1999
- 1800-1899