''Steam Pigs'' is the 1997 debut novel by
Melissa Lucashenko
Melissa Lucashenko is an Indigenous Australians, Indigenous Australian writer of adult literary fiction and literary non-fiction, who has also written young adult fiction, novels for teenagers.
In 2013 at the Walkley Awards, she won the "Featu ...
. It concerns Sue Wilson, a young
Murri woman, who explores her Indigenous identity while living in
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
.
Reception
A review in ''The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education'' wrote that "''Steam Pigs'' takes us into the world of today's "
untermensch
''Untermensch'' (; plural: ''Untermenschen'') is a German language word literally meaning 'underman', 'sub-man', or ' subhuman', which was extensively used by Germany's Nazi Party to refer to their opponents and non- Aryan people they deemed ...
" ...",
[ and that it "..is a woman's book set in a very particular place and at a very particular time; but it confronts themes that are eternal and universal.".]Lesbians on the Loose
''Lesbians on the Loose'' (LOTL) was a lesbian magazine published in Australia. It first appeared in Sydney in January 1990. It covered news, politics, social issues, and included celebrity interviews and stories on entertainment, pop culture, sty ...
'' review called it "...as unsentimental as it is empathetic.".
''Steam Pigs'' has also been reviewed by the '' Journal of the Association for the Study of Australian Literature'', ''Social Alternatives'', ''Australian Literary Studies
''Australian Literary Studies'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal of literary studies, specialising in historical, critical, and theoretical studies of Australian literature. It was established in 1963 by Laurie Hergenhan (University of Queens ...
'', ''Queensland Review
The ''Queensland Review'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal of Queensland studies published by Equinox Publishing, having been formerly published by Cambridge University Press. Established in 1994, it publishes articles, interviews and comme ...
'', and ''Ilha do Desterro''.
An excerpt appears in the ''Macquarie PEN Anthology of Australian Literature''.
Awards
* 1998 Dobbie Literary Award winnerCommonwealth Writers' Prize
Commonwealth Foundation has presented a number of prizes since 1987. The main award was called the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and was composed of two prizes: the Best Book Prize (overall and regional) was awarded from 1987 to 2011; the Best First ...
(South-East Asia and Pacific Region) – shortlist for Best First BookNew South Wales Premier's Literary Awards
The New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, also known as the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, were first awarded in 1979. They are among the richest literary awards in Australia. Notable prizes include the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, th ...
– Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, shortlist
References
Further reading
*
External links
Library holdings of ''Steam Pigs''
"Re-writing Indigeneity, Questioning Postcoloniality", Maryanne Twomey (2003) - thesis that includes a study of ''Steam Pigs''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Steam Pigs
1997 Australian novels
1997 debut novels
Novels set in Brisbane
Indigenous Australian literature
University of Queensland Press books