The Plains
Gerald Murnane
Introduced by Wayne Macauley
Winner of the Patrick White Literary Award, 1999
There is no book in Australian literature like The Plains. In the two decades since its first publication, this haunting novel has earned its status as a classic. A nameless young man arrives on the plains and begins to document the strange and rich culture of the plains families. As his story unfolds, the novel becomes, in the words of Murray Bail, ‘a mirage of landscape, memory, love and literature itself’.
Gerald Murnane is unquestionably one of the most original writers working in Australia today and The Plains is a fascinating and rewarding book…The writing is extraordinarily good, spare, austere, strong, often oddly moving.’ Australian
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