Oscar and Lucinda
 First edition (Australia) | |
| Author | Peter Carey |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Pierre Le-Tan |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre | novel |
| Set in | England and New South Wales, 1838–1866 and 1970 |
| Publisher | University of Queensland Press (UQP) |
Publication date | 1988 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback, Paperback) |
| Pages | 528 pp |
| ISBN | 0-7022-2116-3 |
| OCLC | 21002433 |
| 823.914 | |
| LC Class | MLCM 91/08820 (P) PR9619.3.C36 |
| Preceded by | Illywhacker |
| Followed by | The Tax Inspector |
Oscar and Lucinda is a novel by Australian author Peter Carey which won the 1988 Booker Prize and the 1989 Miles Franklin Award.[1] It was shortlisted for The Best of the Booker.[2][3]
Plot introduction[edit]
The book tells the story of Oscar Hopkins, an Anglican priest from Devon and son of a Plymouth Brethren minister, and Lucinda Leplastrier, a young Australian heiress who buys a glass factory. They meet on the ship over to Australia, and discover that they are both gamblers, one obsessive, the other compulsive. Lucinda bets Oscar that he cannot transport a glass church from Sydney to a remote settlement at Bellingen, some 400 km up the New South Wales coast. This bet changes both their lives forever.
Inspiration[edit]
The novel partly takes its inspiration from Father and Son, the autobiography of the English poet Edmund Gosse, which describes his relationship with his father, Philip Henry Gosse.[4][5]
Film[edit]
A film version released in 1997 was directed by Gillian Armstrong and starred Ralph Fiennes, Cate Blanchett, and Tom Wilkinson.
References[edit]
- ^ Strongman, Luke (22 May 2002). "The Booker Prize and the Legacy of Empire". Rodopi – via Google Books.
- ^ Hassall, Anthony J. (22 May 1998). "Dancing on Hot Macadam: Peter Carey's Fiction". Univ. of Queensland Press – via Google Books.
- ^ Snodgrass, Mary Ellen (10 March 2010). "Peter Carey: A Literary Companion". McFarland – via Google Books.
- ^ Mullan, John (13 February 2010). "Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey | Bookclub" – via www.theguardian.com.
- ^ Meinig, Sigrun (22 May 2004). "Witnessing the Past: History and Post-colonialism in Australian Historical Novels". Gunter Narr Verlag – via Google Books.
External links[edit]
- Booker Prize-winning works
- 1988 Australian novels
- Novels by Peter Carey (novelist)
- Miles Franklin Award-winning works
- Novels set in New South Wales
- University of Queensland Press books
- Australian novels adapted into films
- Fiction set in the 1830s
- Fiction set in the 1840s
- Fiction set in the 1850s
- Fiction set in the 1860s