True History of the Kelly Gang
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| True History of the Kelly Gang | |
| Author | Peter Carey |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Crime, Historical novel |
| Publisher | University of Queensland Press |
| Publication date | 2000 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback and Paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-7022-3236-X |
True History of the Kelly Gang is an historical novel by Australian writer Peter Carey. Originally published in Brisbane by the University of Queensland press in 2000. It won the 2001 Booker Prize and the Commonwealth Writers Prize in the same year. Despite its title, the book is essentially a fictional variation on the Ned Kelly story.
The novel takes place in 19th century Australia. Australia acted as a penal colony from 1788 to 1866. During that time, 806 ships brought around 162,000 male and female convicts to the continent. Some of the more serious British criminals were shipped over to prevent further crimes in Great Britain. About 24% of the individuals shipped over were Irishmen, in this case, the ancestors of the Quinn and Kelly families.
Contents |
[edit] Setting background
Australia can be considered a penal colony to which many of the felons from Great Britain were transported. Convicts in Australia were forced into hard labor for their entire detainment. These convicts were used for the betterment of the British colony, many being forced to work on public facilities and infrastructure projects. Some business men even built factories to benefit on the cheap convict labor. Land holders and free settlers also took advantage of the labour provided by these convicts. As time progressed the number of convicts decreased in Australia, partly because the men and women were released at the end of their term of imprisonment, and partly because the British government used transportation less. By 1820 many former convicts had completed their time and were released and by 1830 only 6% of these people were imprisoned. Many of those released were given plots of land from which to make a living.
During the mid 1800s Australia's population reached one million people. This was not only because of the release of former convicts, but also many migrants were attracted to the colony from Great Britain in order to make a better life for themselves. With the increase in population, Australia became able to sustain itself and grow in many different aspects.
[edit] Plot summary
The novel is presented as having been hastily written on scraps of paper by Ned Kelly himself, and it expands on the story told in the real life Jerilderie Letter. Carey departs from what is known about Kelly's life by providing him with a lover and a daughter, for whom he has been recording his life history whilst on the run from the police.
The novel is written in a distinctive vernacular style, with little in the way of punctuation or grammar. Although there is much profanity in the novel, it has all been censored (save the racist terms) for the benefit of Kelly's fictional daughter.
The book does however remain close to the real chronology of Ned Kelly's life. It captures and expands upon the tone of Kelly's actual writing style demonstrated in his Jerilderie Letter. Excepting the frame narrative of "S.C", the novel does not contain any commas.
[edit] Motifs
Horses play a significant role throughout the novel, paralleling at times both the confinement and freedom of Ned Kelly and his family. The night sky is admired and expounded upon by Ned throughout his history, usually standing as an infinite and ancient contrast to the brevity of his life on earth.[1] The pivotal importance of storytelling and the seeking of truth is a theme which dominates the work as a whole, and is manifested in numerous ways not only through Ned Kelly but also through many of the other characters.
[edit] Historical background on Ned Kelly
Edward 'Ned' Kelly was born in 1855 in Beveridge, Victoria. His father 'Red' Kelly was a convicted Irishman who, after his release, found work at the farm of James Quinn. At age 30 Kelly married Quinn's daughter Ellen. 'Red' Kelly was arrested when he killed and skinned a calf and was required to serve six months hard labour. The treatment of his father helped form Ned's opinion of the police at a young age. 'Red' Kelly died when Ned was only eleven, after which he was forced to leave school to become head of the family. Shortly after this the Kelly family moved to the Glenrowan area of Victoria. In Australia, folk tales are still told of the poverty of Ned Kelly's childhood. Before Ned had been declared an outlaw, eighteen charges had been brought against members of his family with only half of them resulting in guilty verdicts. This is an important aspect in understanding the idolizing of Ned Kelly since many people were able to view the Kellys as victims instead of outlaws.
In a curious effort to attract American readers to the story, the book's publisher, Alfred Knopf, heralded the book as a "great American novel", even though it is completely based in Australia and involving Australian characters and events. The claim that this book is an "American novel" appears to be based on the fact that author Peter Carey, an Australian, has lived in New York for over a decade.
[edit] References
- ^ for example it is mentioned at the birth of his daughter on p. 337
[edit] External links
- Interview with Peter Carey about the novel
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by The Blind Assassin |
Man Booker Prize recipient 2001 |
Succeeded by Life of Pi |
