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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'The Vintage and the Gleaning is set in a winemaking town in the north-east of Victoria, close to the Murray River. Smithy is a retired shearer turned vineyard worker who has recently been forced to give up drinking after a lifetime of alcoholism. In his new sobriety he is contemplating the world in which he lives and the man he has been and become with a new understanding. Assaulted by long forgotten memories, Smithy is forced to take stock of his own past.
'Overwhelmed with feelings of regret, guilt, loss and nostalgia for the past, Smithy is trapped in a blind search for meaning as he realises that he cannot undo the repercussions of his wasted life. He is a desperate and lonely old man seeking beauty in an ugly world.
'Living in the same town is Charlotte, a young woman in a dangerous relationship, whose misfortunes have led her into an uneasy friendship with Smithy. It is in his confused and ultimately futile attempts to help Charlotte that he seeks redemption.' (From the publisher's website.)
Notes
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Dedication: To my father.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Also sound recording.
Works about this Work
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The Silver Age of Fiction
2011
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Meanjin , Summer vol. 70 no. 4 2011; (p. 110-115)‘In human reckoning, Golden Ages are always already in the past. The Greek poet Hesiod, in Works and Days, posited Five Ages of Mankind: Golden, Silver, Bronze, Heroic and Iron (Ovid made do with four). Writing in the Romantic period, Thomas Love Peacock (author of such now almost forgotten novels as Nightmare Abbey, 1818) defined The Four Ages of Poetry (1820) in which their order was Iron, Gold, Silver and Bronze. To the Golden Age, in their archaic greatness, belonged Homer and Aeschylus. The Silver Age, following it, was less original, but nevertheless 'the age of civilised life'. The main issue of Peacock's thesis was the famous response that he elicited from his friend Shelley - Defence of Poetry (1821).’ (Publication abstract)
-
A Pair of Ragged Claws
2011
single work
column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 26 - 27 November 2011; (p. 19) A column canvassing current literary news. Discusses The Vintage and the Gleaning by Jeremy Chambers, recently issued in a new edition and long-listed for the for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. -
The Year's Work in Fiction : 2010-2011
2011
single work
review
— Appears in: Westerly , July vol. 56 no. 1 2011; (p. 167-188)
— Review of Equator : A Novel 2010 single work novel ; Rocks in the Belly 2010 single work novel ; Traitor 2010 single work novel ; The Vintage and the Gleaning 2008 single work novel ; The Grand Hotel : A Novel 2010 single work novel ; What Is Left Over, After 2008 single work novel ; The Best Australian Stories 2010 2010 anthology short story extract ; Five Bells 2011 single work novel ; The Mary Smokes Boys 2010 single work novel ; Glissando : A Melodrama 2010 single work novel ; Below the Styx 2010 single work novel ; Indelible Ink 2010 single work novel ; When Colts Ran 2010 single work novel ; Bereft 2010 single work novel ; Time's Long Ruin : A Novel 2008 single work novel ; The Legacy 2010 single work novel ; That Deadman Dance 2010 single work novel -
Behind the Yarn-Spinning, Mateship Reveals a Cruel Side
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 18-19 September 2010; (p. 30-31)
— Review of The Vintage and the Gleaning 2008 single work novel -
Books
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: The West Australian , 4 September 2010; (p. 21)
— Review of Lights Out in Wonderland 2010 single work novel ; The Vintage and the Gleaning 2008 single work novel
-
The Tendrils of the Past
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 7 August 2010; (p. 23)
— Review of The Vintage and the Gleaning 2008 single work novel -
An Excellent Drop
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 7 August 2010; (p. 21)
— Review of The Vintage and the Gleaning 2008 single work novel -
Out of the Shadows
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 14-15 August 2010; (p. 18-19)
— Review of The Vintage and the Gleaning 2008 single work novel -
Figures in a Subtle Landscape
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 21-22 August 2010; (p. 20-21)
— Review of The Vintage and the Gleaning 2008 single work novel -
Untitled
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 4 -5 September 2010; (p. 24)
— Review of The Vintage and the Gleaning 2008 single work novel -
Vogelangst, or, the Value of a Nudge
2008
single work
column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 13-14 September 2008; (p. 12) -
A Pair of Ragged Claws
2011
single work
column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 26 - 27 November 2011; (p. 19) A column canvassing current literary news. Discusses The Vintage and the Gleaning by Jeremy Chambers, recently issued in a new edition and long-listed for the for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. -
The Silver Age of Fiction
2011
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Meanjin , Summer vol. 70 no. 4 2011; (p. 110-115)‘In human reckoning, Golden Ages are always already in the past. The Greek poet Hesiod, in Works and Days, posited Five Ages of Mankind: Golden, Silver, Bronze, Heroic and Iron (Ovid made do with four). Writing in the Romantic period, Thomas Love Peacock (author of such now almost forgotten novels as Nightmare Abbey, 1818) defined The Four Ages of Poetry (1820) in which their order was Iron, Gold, Silver and Bronze. To the Golden Age, in their archaic greatness, belonged Homer and Aeschylus. The Silver Age, following it, was less original, but nevertheless 'the age of civilised life'. The main issue of Peacock's thesis was the famous response that he elicited from his friend Shelley - Defence of Poetry (1821).’ (Publication abstract)
Awards
- 2012 longlisted International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
- 2010 shortlisted Colin Roderick Award
- 2008 shortlisted The Australian / Vogel National Literary Award (for an unpublished manuscript)
- North East Victoria, Victoria,