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'The hilariously compelling memoir that was hailed as an instant classic.
'Hoi Polloi recounts a childhood spent on racetracks and in bars, as the author’s parents struggle to climb the social ladder. It begins in 1968 in the small town of Heritage, New Zealand. Living above the bar of his family’s hotel, the young Craig is exposed to violence, drinking and murky racial politics. His parents, whom Sherborne thinks of as “Winks” and “Heels” in his eccentric personal language, decide to sell the hotel and move to Sydney, Australia – which they imagine as New Zealand’s “England”, a place of boundless wealth, prestige and social opportunities.
'Once in Sydney, the family begins a love affair with the racing scene. Written with extraordinary sympathy and verve, Hoi Polloi is the portrait of an extraordinary childhood – brutal, poignant and unforgettable.' (Publication summary)
Notes
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Prequel to Muck.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Also sound recording and braille.
Works about this Work
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Untitled
2006
single work
review
— Appears in: Wet Ink , Summer no. 5 2006; (p. 54)
— Review of Hoi Polloi 2005 single work autobiography -
Under the Skin
2006
single work
review
— Appears in: Space: New Writing , no. 3 2006; (p. 149-155)
— Review of In My Skin : A Memoir 2005 single work autobiography ; Hoi Polloi 2005 single work autobiography -
A History of Violence
2006
single work
review
— Appears in: Meanjin , vol. 65 no. 2 2006; (p. 210-215)
— Review of Hoi Polloi 2005 single work autobiography ; Necessary Evil : Poems 2006 selected work poetry -
Around the World in 80 Books : Oceania
2005-2006
single work
review
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 20 December-10 January vol. 123 no. 6501 2005-2006; (p. 159)
— Review of Hoi Polloi 2005 single work autobiography -
Blighted by Violence
2005
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 12-13 November 2005; (p. 16-17)
— Review of Hoi Polloi 2005 single work autobiography
-
The Bend in the Stairs
2005
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , September no. 274 2005; (p. 22-23)
— Review of Hoi Polloi 2005 single work autobiography -
Of Extraordinary Lives
2005
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 17 September 2005; (p. 5)
— Review of In My Skin : A Memoir 2005 single work autobiography ; Hoi Polloi 2005 single work autobiography ; Layla's Story 2005 single work autobiography -
Noted
2005
single work
review
— Appears in: The Monthly , September no. 5 2005; (p. 64)
— Review of Hoi Polloi 2005 single work autobiography -
Untitled
2005
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Bookseller & Publisher , September vol. 85 no. 3 2005; (p. 69)
— Review of Hoi Polloi 2005 single work autobiography -
Curtains Up On the Child Self
2005
single work
review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 1 October 2005; (p. 13)
— Review of Hoi Polloi 2005 single work autobiography
Awards
- 2007 highly commended National Biography Award
- 2006 shortlisted Victorian Premier's Literary Awards — The Nettie Palmer Prize for Non-Fiction
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cNew Zealand,cPacific Region,
- Sydney, New South Wales,