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Notes
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Also available as sound recording.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Displaced from the Sacred Sites : David Foster's In the New Country and The Land Where Stories End
2008
single work
criticism
— Appears in: JASAL , no. 8 2008; (p. 64-74) David Foster's novels consistently interpret Australia as 'colonial', with its white settlers denied any spiritual connection with the natural environment, and its indigenous people displaced and damaged by white settlement. Moonlite (1981) follows the displacement of indigenous people from the outlying islands of Scotland to become the settlers of a colony like Australia, and in turn displace the Aborigines. The Glade Within the Grove proposes a radical new religion, based on the castration rites of the ancient world, that might overcome white Australians' alienation from the land with a new commitment to the environment. But Foster's most recent novels suggest a loss of hope in Australia, as In the New Country offers a farcical parody of The Glade, and The Land Where Stories End seeks spiritual consolation in a fairytale set in seventh-century Ireland, that recalls the sacred sites of the Scottish islanders in Moonlite. This article examines these two novels as the impossible search of a 'colonial mongrel' for a sacred place, in Ireland or Australia, and the signs that such a place may belong in a lost time, only accessible through writing. In Foster's novels writing is the last resort for the sacred, in a world engulfed by a global economic imperialism. (Author's abstract) -
Back to the Holy Isle
2008
single work
criticism
— Appears in: David Foster : The Satirist of Australia 2008; (p. 175-194) -
Four Fishkettles
2000
single work
review
— Appears in: Overland , Spring no. 160 2000; (p. 99-101)
— Review of The Shark Net : Memories and Murder 2000 single work autobiography ; In the New Country 1999 single work novel ; The Twelfth Dialogue 2000 single work novel ; The Tin Man 2000 single work novel -
Bookclub
2000
single work
review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times Sunday Times , 21 May 2000; (p. 55)
— Review of In the New Country 1999 single work novel -
Book Talk
2000
single work
review
— Appears in: The Australian's Review of Books , March vol. 5 no. 2 2000; (p. 13)
— Review of In the New Country 1999 single work novel
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Coming Soon
1999
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sunday Age , 7 March 1999; (p. 23)
— Review of In the New Country 1999 single work novel -
Crunch Go the Taboos
1999
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 3 April 1999; (p. 7)
— Review of In the New Country 1999 single work novel -
An Exhilarating Ramble Round the Collapse of Rural Life
1999
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 10 April 1999; (p. 9)
— Review of In the New Country 1999 single work novel ; Studs and Nogs : Essays 1987-98 1999 selected work criticism biography prose -
A Demon Satirist Turns Resistance Fighter
1999
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 10 April 1999; (p. 6)
— Review of In the New Country 1999 single work novel ; Studs and Nogs : Essays 1987-98 1999 selected work criticism biography prose -
Dud and Dave Go to Vegas
1999
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 24-25 April 1999; (p. 13)
— Review of In the New Country 1999 single work novel -
Back to the Holy Isle
2008
single work
criticism
— Appears in: David Foster : The Satirist of Australia 2008; (p. 175-194) -
Displaced from the Sacred Sites : David Foster's In the New Country and The Land Where Stories End
2008
single work
criticism
— Appears in: JASAL , no. 8 2008; (p. 64-74) David Foster's novels consistently interpret Australia as 'colonial', with its white settlers denied any spiritual connection with the natural environment, and its indigenous people displaced and damaged by white settlement. Moonlite (1981) follows the displacement of indigenous people from the outlying islands of Scotland to become the settlers of a colony like Australia, and in turn displace the Aborigines. The Glade Within the Grove proposes a radical new religion, based on the castration rites of the ancient world, that might overcome white Australians' alienation from the land with a new commitment to the environment. But Foster's most recent novels suggest a loss of hope in Australia, as In the New Country offers a farcical parody of The Glade, and The Land Where Stories End seeks spiritual consolation in a fairytale set in seventh-century Ireland, that recalls the sacred sites of the Scottish islanders in Moonlite. This article examines these two novels as the impossible search of a 'colonial mongrel' for a sacred place, in Ireland or Australia, and the signs that such a place may belong in a lost time, only accessible through writing. In Foster's novels writing is the last resort for the sacred, in a world engulfed by a global economic imperialism. (Author's abstract) -
Fostering the Fans
1999
single work
biography
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 3-4 April 1999; (p. 10)
— Appears in: Dining Out with Mr Lunch 1999; (p. 118-124) -
Rollicking Rural Yarn with an Original Edge
1999
single work
criticism
biography
— Appears in: The Canberra Times Sunday Times , 30 May 1999; (p. 18) -
The Courier-Mail Book of the Year Shortlist
1999
single work
column
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 2 October 1999; (p. 8)
Awards
- 1999 joint winner FAW Australian Literature Award
- 1999 winner The Courier-Mail Book of the Year Award
Last amended 27 Aug 2002 14:36:21
Subjects:
- Country towns,
- New South Wales,
- Sydney, New South Wales,
- Urban,
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