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y separately published work icon The Bodysurfers selected work   short story  
Issue Details: First known date: 1983... 1983 The Bodysurfers
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'Set among the surf and sandhills of the Australian beach – and the tidal changes of three generations of the Lang family – The Bodysurfers is an Australian classic. A short-story collection which has become a bestseller and been adapted for film, television, radio and the theatre, The Bodysurfers on its first publication marked a major change in Australian literature.'

Source: Publisher's blurb (Penguin 2009 ed.)

Teaching Resources

Teaching Resources

This work has teaching resources.

Teachers' notes via publisher's website.

Contents

* Contents derived from the Darlinghurst, Kings Cross area, Inner Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales,:James Fraser Publishing , 1983 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.
The Manageress and the Mirage, Robert Drewe , single work short story (p. 9-14)
The Silver Medallist, Robert Drewe , single work short story (p. 15-22)
Shark Logic, Robert Drewe , single work short story (p. 23-35)
Baby Oil, Robert Drewe , single work short story (p. 37-45)
Looking for Malibu, Robert Drewe , single work short story (p. 47-65)
After Noumea, Robert Drewe , single work short story (p. 67-83)
The View from the Sandhills, Robert Drewe , single work short story (p. 85-92)
Sweetlip, Robert Drewe , single work short story (p. 93-108)
The Bodysurfers, Robert Drewe , single work short story

'Haunted by the brutal murder of a local couple, David heads to his weekend shack with his new lover, Lydia, and his children from his recently crumbled marriage. Together they find escape, if only briefly, in the ocean and the bush.

'"The Bodysurfers", the title story of Robert Drewe's classic first collection, is a vivid evocation of love, passion, terror and the beauty of the beach.' (From the publisher's website, 2012 Penguin publication.)

(p. 109-129)
Eighty Per Cent Humidity, Robert Drewe , single work short story (p. 131-145)
The Last Explorer, Robert Drewe , single work short story (p. 147-155)
Stingray, Robert Drewe , single work short story (p. 157-165)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • London,
      c
      England,
      c
      c
      United Kingdom (UK),
      c
      Western Europe, Europe,
      :
      Boston, Massachusetts,
      c
      United States of America (USA),
      c
      Americas,
      :
      Faber ,
      1984 .
      image of person or book cover 4085314224106422422.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 165p.
      ISBN: 9780571133895
    • Sydney, New South Wales,: Picador , 1987 .
      image of person or book cover 3967278033544038222.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 165p.
    • Ringwood, Ringwood - Croydon - Kilsyth area, Melbourne - East, Melbourne, Victoria,: Penguin , 2001 .
      image of person or book cover 6457778037456717173.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 165p.p.
      ISBN: 0141008016
    • Camberwell, Camberwell - Kew area, Melbourne - Inner South, Melbourne, Victoria,: Penguin , 2009 .
      image of person or book cover 1717280953452004035.jpg
      Image courtesy of publisher's website.
      Extent: 168p.
      Note/s:
      • Publication date: 29 June 2009.
      ISBN: 9780143180241
      Series: y separately published work icon Popular Penguins Penguin (publisher), Camberwell : Penguin , 2008- Z1605341 2008 series - publisher novel essay short story
    • Melbourne, Victoria,: Penguin , 2014 .
      image of person or book cover 7015902873377004342.jpg
      Image courtesy of publisher's website.
      Extent: 166p.p.
      ISBN: 9780143571544, 0143571540
      Series: y separately published work icon Penguin Australian Classics Melbourne : Penguin , 2013- 8224044 2013 series - publisher

Other Formats

Works about this Work

Books That Changed Me Greg Growden Greg Growden , 2013 single work column
— Appears in: The Sun-Herald , 2 June 2013; (p. 12)
Robert Drewe and the Business of Writing Mark Naglazas , 2009 single work criticism
— Appears in: Indigo , Spring no. 4 2009; (p. 8-15)
Hard Act to Follow Robert Drewe , 2009 single work autobiography
— Appears in: The West Australian , 10 October 2009; (p. 22)
A Beach Somewhere : The Australian Littoral Imagination at Play Bruce Bennett , 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 Robert Drewe , 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.
[Review] The Bodysurfers Brian Edwards , 1985 single work review
— Appears in: Landfall , June vol. 39 no. 2 1985; (p. 213-223)

— Review of Fly Away Peter David Malouf , 1982 single work novella ; The Bodysurfers Robert Drewe , 1983 selected work short story ; An Item from the Late News Thea Astley , 1982 single work novel ; The Cure Peter Kocan , 1983 single work novel ; White Stag of Exile Thomas Shapcott , 1984 single work novel ; The State of the Art : The Mood of Contemporary Australia in Short Stories 1983 anthology short story ; Kewpie Doll Barbara Hanrahan , 1984 single work novel ; The Bellarmine Jug : A Novel Nicholas Hasluck , 1984 single work novel ; Harland's Half Acre David Malouf , 1984 single work novel ; Woman in a Lampshade Elizabeth Jolley , 1983 selected work short story ; Miss Peabody's Inheritance Elizabeth Jolley , 1983 single work novel
Recent Fiction Michael Sexton , 1984 single work review
— Appears in: Overland , May no. 94-95 1984; (p. 78-79)

— Review of West Block : The Hidden World of Canberra's Mandarins Sara Dowse , 1983 single work novel ; Sticks That Kill : A Novel Trevor Shearston , 1983 single work novel ; Slate and Me and Blanche McBride Georgia Savage , 1983 single work novel ; The Bodysurfers Robert Drewe , 1983 selected work short story ; Matilda, My Darling Nigel Krauth , 1983 single work novel
[Review] Milk : Stories [et al] John Webb , 1984 single work review
— Appears in: Westerly , July vol. 29 no. 2 1984; (p. 107-109)

— Review of Milk : Stories Beverley Farmer , 1983 selected work short story ; The State of the Art : The Mood of Contemporary Australia in Short Stories 1983 anthology short story ; Uphill Runner James McQueen , 1984 selected work short story ; The Bodysurfers Robert Drewe , 1983 selected work short story
Australia's Soul in Body and Surf Patricia Rolfe , 1983 single work review
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 22 November vol. 103 no. 5392 1983; (p. 86)

— Review of The Bodysurfers Robert Drewe , 1983 selected work short story
Drewe on the Crest of His Wave Janet Hawley , 1983 single work review
— Appears in: The Age , 5 November 1983; (p. 12)

— Review of The Bodysurfers Robert Drewe , 1983 selected work short story
Julia Taylor on James Fraser Julia Taylor , 1995 single work criticism
— Appears in: Publishing Studies , Spring no. 1 1995; (p. 43-46)
Robert Drewe's Australias - with Particular Reference to The Bodysurfers John Thieme , 1992 single work criticism
— Appears in: The Making of a Pluralist Australia 1950-1990: Selected Papers from the Inaugural EASA Conference 1991 1992; (p. 49-60)
In the Service of Complex Truths : The Aims and Art of Robert Drewe's Fiction Michael Ackland , 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'.
Bringing the Beach to Book : Robert Drewe Nikki Barrowclough , 1989 single work criticism biography
— Appears in: Good Weekend , 18 November 1989; (p. 68-72)
A Beach Somewhere : The Australian Littoral Imagination at Play Bruce Bennett , 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)
Last amended 20 Apr 2021 10:23:03
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