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'In the warm alkaline waters of the public bath, a naive and headstrong young engineer accidentally collides with a breathtaking actress. From this innocent collision of flesh begins a passion that will take them from the Wiltshire Downs to the mythical source of life in Africa - and to the most elemental choices of life and death in the Australian desert.
'While the intense love story of William Dance and Angelica Lloyd is at the heart of The Drowner, it is but a part of the daring story that unfolds. By irresistibly mingling history, myth and technology with a modern cinematic and poetic imagination, Robert Drewe has reached beyond the traditions of the romance and annexed new territory.
'Such is the grand scale and original texture of The Drowner that it is at once a fable of European ambitions in an alien landscape, a magnificently sustained metaphor of water as the life and death force and, above all, an intimate and ambitious portrayal - of great resonance and haunting sensuality - of the essence of the differences between men and women.
'Lyrical and astringent, vibrant and tender, The Drowner has all the mysterious powers of a dream. Robert Drewe's seventh work of fiction shows an author at the peak of his powers demonstrating the full vigour of his artistic vision.' (Publication summary)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Braille.
- Sound recording.
Works about this Work
-
Films Clipped
2010
single work
autobiography
— Appears in: The West Australian , 5 June 2010; (p. 30) -
Robert Drewe and the Business of Writing
2009
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Indigo , Spring no. 4 2009; (p. 8-15) -
On My Bedside Table
2008
single work
review
— Appears in: The West Australian , 12 April 2008; (p. 42)
— Review of The Drowner 1996 single work novel -
A Beach Somewhere : The Australian Littoral Imagination at Play
2007
single work
criticism
— Appears in: The Littoral Zone : Australian Contexts and Their Writers 2007; (p. 31-44) A remarkable array of late twentieth and early twenty-first century Australian novelists and short story writers have presented images of West Australian beaches and coastlines. These authors include Robert Drewe, Jack Davis, Randolph Stow, Peter Cowan, Dorothy Hewett, and Tim Winton. Their human dramas have a peculiar poignancy when played out against the natural elements of these Western coasts. Sexual, emotional, or spiritual crises occur in maritime settings that both enhance their memorability and reveal humanity's fragile hold on the continent. (abstract taken from The Littoral Zone) -
The Lesson of 'The Yellow Sand' : Robert Drewe's Dissection of 'The Good Old Past' in The Drowner and Grace
2006
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Westerly , November vol. 51 no. 2006; (p. 88-107) Argues that Robert Drewe's fiction questions nostalgia and notions of the 'the past' in the Australian psyche. Contends that Drewe has significantly broadened this focus in his most recent novels.
-
On My Bedside Table
2008
single work
review
— Appears in: The West Australian , 12 April 2008; (p. 42)
— Review of The Drowner 1996 single work novel -
Some Local Dantes
1997
single work
review
— Appears in: Overland , Winter no. 147 1997; (p. 83-85)
— Review of The Conversations at Curlow Creek 1996 single work novel ; Highways to a War 1995 single work novel ; Keep It Simple, Stupid 1996 single work novel ; The Island in the Mind 1996 selected work novel ; The Drowner 1996 single work novel ; Oyster 1996 single work novel -
Liquid Gold
1996
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 5 October 1996; (p. 11s)
— Review of The Drowner 1996 single work novel -
Saturated with Desire
1996
single work
review
— Appears in: The Australian's Review of Books , October vol. 1 no. 2 1996; (p. 10-11)
— Review of The Drowner 1996 single work novel -
Elemental Streams
1996
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 12-13 October 1996; (p. rev 8)
— Review of The Drowner 1996 single work novel -
Changing the Tide and the Tidings of Change : Robert Drewe's The Drowner
2002
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Southerly , vol. 62 no. 3 2002; (p. 154-167) -
In the Service of Complex Truths : The Aims and Art of Robert Drewe's Fiction
2005
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Westerly , November vol. 50 no. 2005; (p. 26-41) A discussion of Robert Drewe's repeated questioning in his writings of notions of 'truth'. -
The Lesson of 'The Yellow Sand' : Robert Drewe's Dissection of 'The Good Old Past' in The Drowner and Grace
2006
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Westerly , November vol. 51 no. 2006; (p. 88-107) Argues that Robert Drewe's fiction questions nostalgia and notions of the 'the past' in the Australian psyche. Contends that Drewe has significantly broadened this focus in his most recent novels. -
A Beach Somewhere : The Australian Littoral Imagination at Play
2007
single work
criticism
— Appears in: The Littoral Zone : Australian Contexts and Their Writers 2007; (p. 31-44) A remarkable array of late twentieth and early twenty-first century Australian novelists and short story writers have presented images of West Australian beaches and coastlines. These authors include Robert Drewe, Jack Davis, Randolph Stow, Peter Cowan, Dorothy Hewett, and Tim Winton. Their human dramas have a peculiar poignancy when played out against the natural elements of these Western coasts. Sexual, emotional, or spiritual crises occur in maritime settings that both enhance their memorability and reveal humanity's fragile hold on the continent. (abstract taken from The Littoral Zone) -
Australia's Cultural Identity Now
2005
single work
essay
— Appears in: New Literatures Review , October no. 44 2005; (p. 23-31) Robert Drewe discusses Australian identity in terms of 'the Myth of Landscape' and 'the Myth of Character', using examples from his fiction to illustrate.
Awards
- 1998 winner Festival Awards for Literature (SA) — Premier's Award for the Best Overall Published Work
- 1998 winner Festival Awards for Literature (SA) — Award for Fiction — National Fiction Award
- 1997 shortlisted NBC Banjo Awards — NBC Banjo Award for Fiction
- 1997 joint winner Western Australian Premier's Book Awards — Premier's Prize
- 1997 joint winner Western Australian Premier's Book Awards — Fiction
- Africa,
- Western Australia,
- Perth, Western Australia,
- Europe,
- 1890s