 First edition | |
| Author | Christina Stead |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Literary fiction |
| Publisher | Holt, Rinehart and Winston |
Publication date | 1966 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 352pp |
| Preceded by | The People with the Dogs |
| Followed by | The Little Hotel |
Dark Places of the Heart (1966) is a novel by Australian writer Christina Stead. This novel is also known by the title Cotter's England. [1]
Set in post-war northern England the novel follows the fortunes of Nellie Cook, sister Peggy Cotter and brother Tom, and their familial and external relationships.
Writing in The Canberra Times, Neville Braybrooke notes that the book is a "masterly depiction of working class life, both in the north and south of England, it has a freshness of vision which makes it unique." [2]
A reviewer in Kirkus Review was a little ambivalent about the book: "Like her best novel, it is a hurdy gurdy of domestic crises, strewn with slashing, colorful speech, vigorous rhythms and social detail. Yet it has a strangely melancholic air and an uncertain jumble of incidents, as if the author were never sure either of her descriptive powers or of the intended emotional design." [3]
Christina Stead was an Australian novelist and short-story writer acclaimed for her satirical wit and penetrating psychological characterisations. Christina Stead was a committed Marxist, although she was never a member of the Communist Party. She spent much of her life outside Australia, although she returned before her death.
Olivia Mary Manning was a British novelist, poet, writer, and reviewer. Her fiction and non-fiction, frequently detailing journeys and personal odysseys, were principally set in the United Kingdom, Europe, and the Middle East. She often wrote from her personal experience, though her books also demonstrate strengths in imaginative writing. Her books are widely admired for her artistic eye and vivid descriptions of place.
Hotel du Lac is a 1984 Booker Prize-winning novel by English writer Anita Brookner. It centres on Edith Hope, a romance novelist who is staying in a hotel on the shores of Lake Geneva. There she meets other English visitors, including Mrs Pusey, Mrs Pusey's daughter Jennifer, and an attractive middle-aged man, Mr Neville.
The Man Who Loved Children is a 1940 novel by Australian writer Christina Stead. It was not until a reissue edition in 1965, with an introduction by poet Randall Jarrell, that it found widespread critical acclaim and popularity. Time magazine included the novel in its TIME 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005. The novel has been championed by novelists Robert Stone, Jonathan Franzen and Angela Carter. Carter believed Stead's other novels Cotters England; A Little Tea, A Little Chat; and For Love Alone to be as good, if not better than The Man Who Loved Children.
Merlinda Bobis is a contemporary Filipina-Australian writer and academic.
June Guesdon Braybrooke, better known by her pen name Isobel English, was an English writer. Her best-known novel is Every Eye. Fellow writer Stevie Smith called her tone "a voice of our times, ironical and involved".
I'm Dying Laughing: The Humourist is a novel by Christina Stead (1902–1983). It was published posthumously by Virago Press in 1986, edited and with a preface by Ron Geering.
When You Reach Me is a Newbery Medal-winning science fiction and mystery novel by Rebecca Stead, published in 2009. It takes place on the Upper West Side of New York during 1978 and 1979 and follows the protagonist, Miranda Sinclair. She receives a strange note asking her to record future events and write down to the location of her spare key. As the novel progresses, Miranda receives three more notes with requests. The novel contains three story lines — the appearance of Miranda's mom on the game show, The $20,000 Pyramid, Miranda's best friend Sal suddenly not talking with Miranda, and the appearance of a laughing man. Central themes in the novel include independence, redemption and friendship. Stead also wanted to demonstrate the possibilities that she saw in time travel. The author hoped to show her children what New York was like in her childhood, and demonstrate how in an earlier time children were more independent.
Rebecca Stead is an American writer of fiction for children and teens. She won the American Newbery Medal in 2010, the oldest award in children's literature, for her second novel When You Reach Me.
Reaching Tin River (1990) is a novel by Australian author Thea Astley. It won the 1990 New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards — Christina Stead Prize for Fiction.
The Witch of Exmoor is a 1997 novel by Margaret Drabble. The novel is a social novel, with a focus on exploring the state of post-Thatcher Britain through the Dickensian satire of the Palmer family. The title describes the satirical protagonist, Frieda Palmer, who provides the source of much of the social commentary.
Seven Poor Men of Sydney (1934) is the first novel by Australian writer Christina Stead.
For Love Alone (1944) is a novel by Australian writer Christina Stead.
The Beauties and Furies (1936) is a novel by Australian writer Christina Stead.
A Little Tea, a Little Chat (1948) is a novel by Australian writer Christina Stead.
The People with the Dogs (1952) is a novel by Australian writer Christina Stead.
The Little Hotel (1973) is a novel by Australian writer Christina Stead.
This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1966.
When Jays Fly to Barbmo (1968) is the debut novel for children by Australian author Margaret Balderson, illustrated by Victor Ambrus. It won the Children's Book of the Year Award: Older Readers in 1969.
Magnus Flyte is the male pseudonym used by writing duo Meg Howrey and Christina Lynch. As Magnus Flyte, they have written two novels, New York Times bestsellerCity of Dark Magic and City of Lost Dreams, both of which are published by Penguin Books. The persona of Magnus Flyte is characterized by his obscurity and elusive nature regarding the public, as well as his conflicting biographical details.