 First edition | |
| Author | Martin Boyd |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Cresset Press, London |
Publication date | 1955 |
| Media type | Print Hardback & Paperback |
| Pages | 276 pp |
| Preceded by | The Cardboard Crown |
| Followed by | Outbreak of Love |
A Difficult Young Man (1955) is a novel by Australian writer Martin Boyd. It is the second in the author's "Langton Tetralogy" (which comprises The Cardboard Crown , A Difficult Young Man, Outbreak of Love and When Blackbirds Sing ) and it won the ALS Gold Medal in 1957. [1]
The novel continues the story of the Langtons, an Anglo-Australian family based in Melbourne, who have never truly come to terms with their place in Australian society. Like the first novel in the series, this book is narrated by Guy Langton and concerns the younger son Dominic, a man who ideals and actions are considered both eccentric and unacceptable to the Melbourne society of the time.
Gordon Stewart in The Argus noted that the author was now in fine company. "Few authors can cope successfully with the family saga type of sage. Miles Franklin and Henry Handel Richardson stand out among the Australians who have made the attempt. To their names can now be added that of Martin Boyd, for the sensitive appeal and literary skill of his latest novel "A Difficult Young Man." He then goes on "The entire work has an air of reality and authenticity which one associates usually only with autobiography." [2]
Dorothy Green, writing in 1965 after the book had been re-issued, stated: "This book is a sharp and timely reminder that other values than commercial success once counted for something in our urban environment, values in no way inferior to, and in some respects superior to those be longing to the European culture with which our own is compared and contrasted. There are unmistakable signs that in this comparatively late novel, Boyd, after sitting agonised for so long on the fence that divides his two worlds has put his foot down on the southern side of it." [3]
Kathleen Kylie Tennant AO was an Australian novelist, playwright, short-story writer, critic, biographer, and historian.
John de Burgh Perceval AO was a well-known Australian artist. Perceval was the last surviving member of a group known as the Angry Penguins who redefined Australian art in the 1940s. Other members included John Reed, Joy Hester, Sidney Nolan, Arthur Boyd and Albert Tucker. He was also an Antipodean and contributed to the Antipodeans exhibition of 1959.
William Merric Boyd, known more as Merric Boyd, was an Australian artist, active as a ceramicist, sculptor, and extensive chronicling of his family and environs in pencil drawing. He held the fine mythic distinction of being the father of Australian studio pottery.
Arthur Merric Boyd was an Australian painter. He and his wife Emma Minnie established a lifestyle of being artists which many generations followed to create the popular image of the Boyd family.
The Boyd family is an Australian family whose members over several generations contributed to the arts in the fields of painting, sculpture, pottery, ceramics, literature, architecture, poetry and music. The Boyd family is considered an artistic dynasty.
Martin à Beckett Boyd was an Australian writer born into the à Beckett–Boyd family, a family synonymous with the establishment, the judiciary, publishing and literature, and the visual arts since the early 19th century in Australia.
The Australian Literature Society Gold Medal is awarded annually by the Association for the Study of Australian Literature for "an outstanding literary work in the preceding calendar year." From 1928 to 1974 it was awarded by the Australian Literature Society, then from 1983 by the Association for the Study of Australian Literature, when the two organisations were merged.
Raymond Thomas Gabelich was an Australian rules footballer who played with Collingwood in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
Michelle de Kretser is an Australian novelist who was born in Sri Lanka, and moved to Australia in 1972 when she was 14.
Prelude to Christopher is a 1934 novel by Eleanor Dark (1901–1985). It was awarded the ALS Gold Medal in 1934.
Charles Henry Chomley was an Australian farmer, barrister, writer and journalist. His non-fiction and fiction works alike reflected his strong interest and involvement in politics and law.
Peter Bray Gallery was established as Stanley Coe Gallery in 1949 before being renamed in 1951, after a change of management. Situated at 435 Bourke Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, it closed in 1957. Many of the major names in mid-century Australian contemporary art showed there during its brief, but very busy, lifespan.
This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1948.
The Madeleine Heritage (1928) is a novel by Australian author Martin Boyd. It won the ALS Gold Medal in 1928.
Return to Coolami (1936) is a novel by Australian author Eleanor Dark. It won the ALS Gold Medal for Best Novel in 1936.
The Young Desire It (1937) is a novel by Australian author Seaforth Mackenzie. It won the ALS Gold Medal for Best Novel in 1937.
This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1957.
Outbreak of Love (1957) is a novel by Australian writer Martin Boyd. It is the third in the author's "Langton Tetralogy".
The Cardboard Crown (1952) is a novel by Australian writer Martin Boyd. It is the first in the author's "Langton Tetralogy".
When Blackbirds Sing (1962) is the last novel by Australian writer Martin Boyd. It is also the last in the author's "Langton Tetralogy".