Broken Words

Broken Words

Alternate title for Broken Words of Ducks
Author	Helen Hodgman
Language	English
Genre	Literary novel
Publisher	Penguin
Publication date	1988
Publication place	Australia
Media type	Print
Pages	121 pp.
Awards	1989 New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards — Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, winner
ISBN	0140102345

Broken Words is a 1988 novel by the Australian author Helen Hodgman, originally published in Australia by Penguin. ^[1] It is also known by the alternative title Ducks, under which it was published in the USA. ^[2]

It was the winner of the 1989 New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, Christina Stead Prize for Fiction. ^[3]

Synopsis

Hazel, from the small Queensland town of Goondiwindi, lives on the dole in London in the late 1980s. This novel, in a fractured narrative, tells her story and the story she interacts with.

Critical reception

Reviewing the novel for The Sydney Morning Herald Catherine Kenneally found it to be "bleak, funny and savage". She continued "Not only are words broken in this novel, but hearts, minds and bodies as well." ^[4]

Publication history

After the novel's initial publication in Australia by Penguin Books ^[1] it was reprinted as follows:

• Harmony Books, USA, 1988 (with the title Ducks) ^[2]
• Virago Press, UK, 1989 ^[5]
• Anchor, Australia, 1997 ^[6]

Notes

• Dedication: With thanks to Barbara Bridges, Jane Cameron, Irma Havlicek, Roger Hodgman, Suzanne Perkins and Nathan and special thanks to Colin Haycroft for the punctuation and to Meredith Hodgman for the ducks.

Awards

• 1989 New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, winner ^[3]

See also

• 1988 in Australian literature

References

1. "Broken Words by Helen Hodgman (Penguin)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
2. "Austlit — Broken Words by Helen Hodgman". Austlit. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
3. "Hodgman wins State literary prize". Sydney Morning Herald, 5 September 1989, p10. ProQuest   2526306667 . Retrieved 23 April 2025.
4. ""Innocents abroad, building lives amid the ruins"". The Sydney Morning Herald, 7 January 1989, p41. ProQuest   2526488597 . Retrieved 23 April 2025.
5. "Broken Words by Helen Hodgman (Virago)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
6. "Broken Words by Helen Hodgman (Anchor)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 22 April 2025.