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Chargement... That Deadman Dance: A Novel (original 2010; édition 2012)par Kim Scott
Information sur l'oeuvreThat Deadman Dance par Kim Scott (2010)
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This book explores the early contact between the Aboriginal Noongar people and the first European settlers, and has been championed by many book lists and many bloggers to be THE definitive book I should read to understand Australia. So, finally, I read it - and I admit that I wasn't as moved by this book as I expected to be. Australia has the same issues that Canada has -or perhaps any place in the world that Europeans decided to go in the age of the sailing ship. It can never be said our group isn’t willing to try something different in the literature stakes. As a general rule, we love a challenging read and a chance to explore different styles of storytelling. Unfortunately, in the case of Deadman Dance, desire was not enough. Most of us felt the story to be too disjointed with time jumps and a fragmented storyline. There were positive comments concerning the descriptive passages and depiction of aboriginal culture, but again, this was not enough to engage most of our group at the emotional level they like. A few of us have been to Albany and the surrounding area, so enjoyed the historical backdrop and also found the interaction between white and black well done. Bobby’s cross culture struggle rings true with many of the stories we have read in this genre, but failed to move the majority of us enough to care. It was suggested that, unlike other novels that we have read dealing with indigenous history, Deadman was written by an aboriginal and that the story was being told more in the style of indigenous storytelling rather than in the European style we are more accustomed to. Which could explain the perceived disorderly narrative and disjointed storyline. And let’s be honest, this would not be the only time we have misunderstood our indigenous peoples’ culture, to our own detriment. This was an excellent book. I found it as a result of reading a book of short stories by Australian writers. One of the stories that really impressed me was "Asleep" by this author. At the back of the book the description of the author said that he had won the Miles Franklin Award for his second book, Benang. I wasn't able to find that book in my library but I did find this one. Then I learned that it had also won the Miles Franklin Award. It spans the time from 1826 to 1844 which is not such a long period of time but for the aboriginal Noongar of Western Australia everything changed. A small garrison of soldiers came to a natural harbour on the coast and established a village that they called King George Town. The garrison doctor, Dr. Cross, realized that the land they were on belonged to the aboriginals and wanted to have friendly relations with them. A few of the young men were quick to learn some English and also quick to learn tasks from the whites. One young boy in particular, Bobby Wabalanginy, became a favourite of the doctor. When Bobby's parents died of a coughing disease (probably TB brought by the whites) Dr. Cross started to teach him to read and write in English. If Dr. Cross had lived he perhaps would have been able to change the course of relations between the two races but he also died of the coughing disease. As Bobby grew up he became a mediator between the whites and the Noongar. Being just a "blackfella" though he was ignored most times. A book is mentioned as having made the rounds of the white community, The Last of the Mohicans. Although I have not read this book I suspect that the author is drawing a parallel between the relationships between whites and natives in North America and the interaction described in this book. Seems that the example of North America did nothing to change the way things developed in Australia. Highly recommended.
"Scott, who won both Australia's Victorian Prize for Literature and his second Miles Franklin Literary Award for this work, deserves notice from a broader international audience. This well-written, insightful novel will be enjoyed by readers interested in Australian historical fiction, indigenous literature, and postcolonial fiction in general." Prix et récompensesListes notables
Big-hearted, moving and richly rewarding, That Deadman Dance is set in the first decades of the 19th century in the area around what is now Albany, Western Australia. In playful, musical prose, the book explores the early contact between the Aboriginal Noongar people and the first European settlers.The novel's hero is a young Noongar man named Bobby Wabalanginy. Clever, resourceful and eager to please, Bobby befriends the new arrivals, joining them hunting whales, tilling the land, exploring the hinterland and establishing the fledgling colony. He is even welcomed into a prosperous local white family where he falls for the daughter, Christine, a beautiful young woman who sees no harm in a liaison with a native. But slowly - by design and by accident - things begin to change. Not everyone is happy with how the colony is developing. Stock mysteriously start to disappear; crops are destroyed; there are "accidents" and injuries on both sides. As the Europeans impose ever stricter rules and regulations in order to keep the peace, Bobby's Elders decide they must respond in kind. A friend to everyone, Bobby is forced to take sides: he must choose between the old world and the new, his ancestors and his new friends. Inexorably, he is drawn into a series of events that will forever change not just the colony but the future of Australia... Aucune description trouvée dans une bibliothèque |
Discussion en coursAucunCouvertures populaires
Google Books — Chargement... GenresClassification décimale de Melvil (CDD)823.914Literature English English fiction Modern Period 1901-1999 1945-1999Classification de la Bibliothèque du CongrèsÉvaluationMoyenne:
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Don't get me wrong; I look forward to reading more of Scott's work. I think this novel is just a bit too 'popular lit' to draw me personally in. Recommended in general to those interested in the Indigenous experience, however. ( )