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'When it comes to looking back over his life, Archie Fliess has got some understanding to do. So begins a sprawling reflection on his life during the early twentieth century, from the day the fortunes of brothers Archie and Reggie changed when they were taken to be the rightful owners of the property built by their grandfather in country NSW. Along their journey, they are introduced to an odd collection of family and caretakers, who don’t always have the best interests of the boys at heart. Archie becomes embroiled in the mystery surrounding his grandfather’s life, and as the two stories – Archie’s and his grandfather’s – unravel, we see familiar themes of disappointment and failed ambition. Glissando – A Melodrama is a tale that travels along many threads: it is an Australian story, told in a playful, philosophical voice in a style reminiscent of Sterne’s Tristram Shandy, with shades of Patrick White’s Voss. It has a burlesque bravado similar to Steve Toltz’s Fraction of the Whole. It’s an Australian classic, a satirical romp of epic proportions.' (Publication summary)
Notes
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Dedication:
To Phillip Musgrave
i.m. Jon Power for 'the 500 wonderful things' -
Epigraph: Exuberance is beauty - Blake
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Author's note: Glissando: n. any sliding effect performed on a musical instrument esp. by sliding one finger rapidly over the keys of a piano or strings of a harp.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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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 -
The Latest Word
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: Wet Ink , September no. 20 2010; (p. 51)
— Review of Glissando : A Melodrama 2010 single work novel -
Untitled
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 28 - 29 August 2010; (p. 24)
— Review of Glissando : A Melodrama 2010 single work novel -
Men on the Mat
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: The Australian Literary Review , August vol. 5 no. 7 2010; (p. 18)
— Review of Killing Richard Dawson 2010 single work novel ; Glissando : A Melodrama 2010 single work novel ; The Norseman's Song 2010 single work novel ; Rocks in the Belly 2010 single work novel -
Art House Dramas and the Danger of Satire
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 3 July 2010; (p. 25)
— Review of Glissando : A Melodrama 2010 single work novel
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Untitled
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: Bookseller + Publisher Magazine , April vol. 89 no. 7 2010; (p. 35)
— Review of Glissando : A Melodrama 2010 single work novel -
A Spiritual Superiority
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 24-25 April 2010; (p. 21-22)
— Review of Glissando : A Melodrama 2010 single work novel -
Bold and Sweeping Vision
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 24 April 2010; (p. 11)
— Review of Glissando : A Melodrama 2010 single work novel -
Fun with Patrick White and the Architecture of Satire
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 15-16 May 2010; (p. 30-31)
— Review of Glissando : A Melodrama 2010 single work novel -
Parodic Feast
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , June no. 322 2010; (p. 33)
— Review of Glissando : A Melodrama 2010 single work novel -
Melodramatic Melodrama
2010
single work
interview
— Appears in: Bookseller + Publisher Magazine , April vol. 89 no. 7 2010; (p. 46) -
David Musgrave
2010
single work
biography
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 19-20 June 2010; (p. 30-31)
Awards
- 2011 shortlisted Prime Minister's Literary Awards — Fiction
- 2011 shortlisted New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards — UTS Award for New Writing
- New South Wales,
- Rural,