|
A Cartload Of Clay
''A Cartload of Clay'' (1971) is the last and unfinished novel by the Australian author George Johnston. It is a sequel to ''My Brother Jack'' and '' Clean Straw for Nothing'', the third in the Meredith trilogy of semi-autobiographical novels by Johnson. Story outline The novel follows David Meredith over the period of several hours as he contemplates his life, the death of his wife and his own impending end. Critical reception John Lleonart in ''The Canberra Times'' put the book into its context: "''A Cartload of Clay'' is a mellow, often distinctly melancholy autobiographical essay. Johnston had intended it to be a novel but the fact that it is structurally incomplete does not detract from it. The absence of a contrived ending is, indeed, a factor in the book's impact as a human document...There is no doubt that the Johnston trilogy has reached a plane where neither the most determined parochial masochism and self-revelation can harm it. And even if, while writing this last ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Johnston (novelist)
George Henry Johnston Officer of the Order of the British Empire, OBE (20 July 191222 July 1970) was an Australian journalist, war correspondent and novelist, best known for ''My Brother Jack''. He was the husband and literary collaborator of Charmian Clift. Life George Henry Johnston was born in Melbourne and spent his childhood in the family home in Elsternwick, Victoria, Elsternwick and was educated in local secondary schools before taking up an apprenticeship as a lithography, lithographer. He was subsequently taken on as a journalist for the Melbourne ''The Argus (Australia), Argus'' newspaper. He achieved a certain fame due to his dispatches as a correspondent during World War II. With his second wife, Charmian Clift he was posted to London as a European correspondent. In 1951 Albert Arlen tried to engage Johnston's services as writer of his musical ''The Sentimental Bloke (1961 musical), The Sentimental Bloke'', but he was not interested. Johnston abandoned his journalis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
English Language
English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples that Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, migrated to Britain after its End of Roman rule in Britain, Roman occupiers left. English is the list of languages by total number of speakers, most spoken language in the world, primarily due to the global influences of the former British Empire (succeeded by the Commonwealth of Nations) and the United States. English is the list of languages by number of native speakers, third-most spoken native language, after Mandarin Chinese and Spanish language, Spanish; it is also the most widely learned second language in the world, with more second-language speakers than native speakers. English is either the official language or one of the official languages in list of countries and territories where English ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Collins, Sons
William Collins, Sons & Co., often referred to as Collins, was a Scotland, Scottish printing and publishing company founded by a Presbyterianism, Presbyterian schoolmaster, William Collins (publisher), William Collins, in Glasgow in 1819, in partnership with Charles Chalmers, the younger brother of Thomas Chalmers, the minister of St George's Tron Church, Tron Church in Glasgow. Collins merged with Harper & Row in 1990, forming a new publisher named HarperCollins. History 19th century The firm published its first dictionary, ''Greek and English Lexicon'', in 1824. The company had to overcome many early obstacles, and Charles Chalmers left the business in 1825. The first series of Collins Illustrated Dictionaries appeared in 1840, including the ''Sixpenny Pocket Pronouncing Dictionary'', which sold approximately 1 million copies. By 1841 Collins was established as a printer of Bibles. In 1846, Collins retired and his son William Collins (Lord Provost), Sir William Collins took ov ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clean Straw For Nothing
''Clean Straw for Nothing'' (1969) is a Miles Franklin Award-winning novel by Australian author George Johnston. This novel is a sequel to ''My Brother Jack'', and is the second in the Meredith trilogy of semi-autobiographical novels by Johnston. Story outline In real life, Johnson abandoned a conventional career in Australia in journalism, and moved to a Greek island which was a magnet at the time for artists and writers. The novel similarly tells the story of a journalist (David Meredith) who relocates to a Greek island, but fails to find the answers he seeks. Meredith's relationship with his second wife, Cressida, closely parallels Johnston's second marriage to Charmian Clift. On the eve of ''Clean Straw for Nothings publication, Clift overdosed on barbiturates in Sydney. In a posthumously-published essay, ''My Husband George'', Clift wrote: "I do believe that novelists must be free to write what they like, in any way they liked to write it (and after all who but myself ha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
My Brother Jack
''My Brother Jack'' is a classic 1964 Australian novel by writer George Johnston. It is part of a trilogy centering on the character of David Meredith. The other books in the trilogy are '' Clean Straw for Nothing'' and '' A Cartload of Clay''. It is commonly studied for English literature subjects in Australia. Overview This semi-autobiographical novel, definable as a roman à clef, follows the narrator, David Meredith, through his childhood and adolescence in interwar Melbourne through to adulthood and his prominent career as a journalist during World War II, to his life on a Greek island in the 1950s and 60s. David's childhood and early life are influenced heavily by the destructive presence of his father, psychologically ruined by his experiences in the Great War. His father, cruel, increasingly withdrawn, is a catalyst for the escapes which both David and Jack have to make, each in their own way. The novel has a central theme using contrasts between David and his older a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1971 In Literature
This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1971. Events *March 25– December 14 – The 1971 killing of Bengali intellectuals reaches a peak. *April 21 – The 13th-century ''Codex Regius'' manuscript is returned by Denmark to Iceland under naval escort. *June – The federal Australian Government removes 1969 novel '' Portnoy's Complaint'' from the list of books prohibited from import into Australia in the face of its widespread legal availablity in the country. It is the last literary publication to have been challenged with censorship before the Australian courts. *June 30 – Release of musical film ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory'' in the United States, based on Roald Dahl's 1964 children's novel '' Charlie and the Chocolate Factory''. Although Dahl is credited for the screenplay, creative differences with the production team cause him to disown the picture. *July 4 – Michael S. Hart posts the first e-book, a copy of the Unite ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1971 Australian Novels
* The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclipse, February 10, and August 1971 lunar eclipse, August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events January * January 2 – 1971 Ibrox disaster: During a crush, 66 people are killed and over 200 injured in Glasgow, Scotland. * January 5 – The first ever One Day International cricket match is played between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. * January 8 – Tupamaros kidnap Geoffrey Jackson, British ambassador to Uruguay, in Montevideo, keeping him captive until September. * January 9 – Uruguayan president Jorge Pacheco Areco demands emergency powers for 90 days due to kidnappings, and receives them the next day. * January 12 – The landmark United States televis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Unfinished Novels
An unfinished creative work is a painting, novel, musical composition, or other creative work, that has not been brought to a completed state. Its creator may have chosen not to finish it, deferred its completion indefinitely, or may have been prevented from doing so by circumstances beyond their control, such as death. Such pieces are often the subject of speculation as to what the finished piece would have been like had the creator completed the work. Sometimes artworks are finished by others and released posthumously. Unfinished works have had profound influences on their genres and have inspired others in their own projects. The term can also refer to ongoing work which could eventually be finished (i.e. the creator is still living) and is distinguishable from "incomplete work", which can be a work that was finished but is no longer in its complete form. There are many reasons that a work is not completed. Works are usually stopped when their creator dies, although some, awar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Australian Autobiographical Novels
Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Australians, indigenous peoples of Australia as identified and defined within Australian law * Australia (continent) ** Indigenous Australians * Australian English, the dialect of the English language spoken in Australia * Australian Aboriginal languages * ''The Australian'', a newspaper * Australiana, things of Australian origins Other uses * Australian (horse) Australian (1858 – 15 October 1879) was a British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was exported to the United States where he had modest success as a racehorse but became a very successful and influential breeding stallion. Back ..., a racehorse * Australian, British Columbia, an unincorporated community in Canada See also * The Australian (other) * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
