 | |
| Author | Murray Bail |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fiction |
| Publisher | Viking |
Publication date | 1987 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 353 |
| ISBN | 0670816639 |
| Preceded by | Homesickness |
| Followed by | Eucalyptus |
Holden's Performance (1987) is a novel by Australian writer Murray Bail. It was originally published by Viking in Australia in 1987. [1]
Covering the period from World War II through to the mid-1960s this novel follows the life of Holden Shadbolt. After the war Shadbolt moves from his native Adelaide to Sydney where he becomes a driver for Senator (and then government Minister) Sid Hoadley, and later a bodyguard for visiting foreign heads of state.
Writing in The Canberra Times reviewer Marion Halligan noted: "Murray Bail's latest novel is about language. He proudly claims that it is not realistic, and this is the way it isn't. It turns words into the things they describe, it makes metaphors literal, it puts sound before sense, thus giving sense an extra dimension...I find it the kind of book which amazes and delights while I am reading it, but does not inspire a desire to pick it up once I've put it down. Whereas lesser novels have made me care quite passionately about what happens in them, this didn't. Perhaps because it is so very successful in portraying the great Australian emptiness of its protagonist." [2]
A reviewer at the "complete review" website found: "Holden's Performance is both dense and loose, with Bail capturing an era in a single sentence and yet also floating across years and allowing spiraling narrative digressions. He seems, ultimately, not certain enough what to do with Holden, who still feels unformed at the novel's end, only 34, packed off for grander things. The novel meanders amiably most of the time, yet one misses a firmer payoff...Still, in its details Bail manages a great deal. The unlikely pieces — a lost toe, a vomit stain, the female form — are often wonderfully put to unexpected use. And he has a turn of language that, while not always successful, is generally most entertaining." [3]
After its original publication in 1987 in Australia by publisher Viking Press [6] the novel was later published as follows:
Murray Bail is an Australian writer of novels, short stories and non-fiction. In 1980 he shared the Age Book of the Year award for his novel Homesickness.
Robin McMaugh Klein is an Australian author of books for children. She was born in Kempsey, New South Wales, Australia, and now resides near Melbourne.
The Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize awarded to "a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases". The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin (1879–1954), who is best known for writing the Australian classic My Brilliant Career (1901). She bequeathed her estate to fund this award. As of 2016, the award is valued at A$60,000.
Geoffrey Lehmann is an Australian poet, children's writer, and tax lawyer.
Just Relations is a Miles Franklin Award-winning novel by Australian author Rodney Hall.
This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1975.
This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1980.
This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1987.
This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1999.
Homesickness (1980) is a novel by Australian writer Murray Bail. It was originally published by Macmillan in Australia in 1980.
Milk and Honey (1984) is a novel by Australian writer Elizabeth Jolley. It was originally published by Fremantle Press in Australia in 1984.
Mr Scobie's Riddle (1983) is a novel by Australian writer Elizabeth Jolley. It was originally published by Penguin Books in Australia in 1983.
Antipodes (1985) is a collection of short stories by Australian writer David Malouf. It was published by Chatto and Windus in 1985.
The Bellarmine Jug (1984) is a novel by Australian writer Nicholas Hasluck. It was originally published by Penguin in Australia in 1984.
My Father's Moon (1989) is a novel by Australian writer Elizabeth Jolley. It was originally published by Viking in Australia in 1989.
Cabin Fever (1990) is a novel by Australian writer Elizabeth Jolley. It was originally published by Viking in Australia in 1990.
The Georges' Wife (1993) is a novel by Australian writer Elizabeth Jolley. It was originally published by Viking in Australia in 1993.
Taking Shelter (1989) is a novel by Australian writer Jessica Anderson. It was originally published by Penguin Books in Australia in 1989.
Forty-Seventeen is a collection of short stories by the Australian writer Frank Moorhouse, published by Viking, in 1988.
Captivity Captive (1988) is a novel by Australian writer Rodney Hall. It was originally published by Farrar Straus and Giroux in US in 1988.