Synopsis
There is no novel in all of Australian literature that is quite comparable to The Plains.
A nameless young man arrives on the plains and begins to document the strange and rich culture of its families, with intention of producing a film.
As his story unfolds, the novel becomes, in the words of Murray Bail, "a mirage of landscape, memory, love and literature itself."
The vast, incomprehensible landscape of Australia becomes not a tangible place but an abstract and mythological concept.
First published in 1982, this haunting novel has earned its status as a classic.
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Review
"The Plains are a vast place inhabited by wealthy landowners whose prime obsession seems to be preserving history by shaping from uneventful days in a flat landscape the substance of myth. A film-maker arrives to record aspects of their heritage, discovering symbols, stories and parables that transcend spiritual, political or cultural purposes; even the rugged patriarchy of their world is somehow illusory. Deeply mysterious yet grounded in familiar, everyday detail, this novel is an alchemical miracle, converting vision into pure narrative. A stunning achievement." --Debra Adelaide, Sydney Morning Herald
"One of the strangest novels I've ever read. Murnane's narrator is a film-maker who, in slow, hypnotic, maddening, recursive prose, recounts his efforts to make a film about the outback. It's a story devoid of "events or achievements". The real plains are the folds of the brain, which contain the elusive matter of memory. Murnane, a genius, is a worthy heir to Beckett. " --Teju Cole Top 10 novels of solitude, The Guardian
"Murnane is quite simply one of the finest writers we have produced." - Peter Craven
"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." - The Australian
"A provocative, delightful, diverting must-reread." --Kirkus (starred review)
About the Author
Gerald Murnane was born in Melbourne in 1939. He has been a primary teacher, an editor and a university lecturer. His debut novel, Tamarisk Row (1974), was followed by nine other works of fiction, including The Plains and, most recently, A Million Windows. In 1999 Murnane won the Patrick White Award and in 2009 he won the Melbourne Prize for Literature. He lives in western Victoria.
Ben Lerner has been a Fulbright Fellow, a finalist for the National Book Award for Poetry, a Howard Foundation Fellow, and a Guggenheim Fellow. He is the author of Leaving the Atocha Station (2012 Believer Book Award winner) and 10:04. Lerner is a professor of English at Brooklyn College.
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The Plains
Seller: The Great Catsby's Rare Books, Edmonton, AB, Canada
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Soft cover. Condition: Near Fine. 2nd Edition. Quite a nice first printing of the second edition (precedes US Braziller edition by a year), signed by the author to the front fly leaf to Australian author Janice Paull. Book shows some light toning to block and rubbing to corners, but is still a nice bright copy, certainly near fine, maybe better. Small perfect bound octavo, 128 pages, pictorial wraps by David Wong. Satisfaction guaranteed. Additional photos always available on request. Shipped in a fitted, padded box. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # ABE-1690403567857