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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'1852
'When the township of Gundagai is devastated by raging floodwaters, two local Wiradjuri men, Yarri and Jacky Jacky, risk their lives to rescue a third of the town's residents in bark canoes on the treacherous Murrumbidgee River.
'Among those saved are James and David Bradley, wealthy settlers. The Bradleys leave for Wagga Wagga, with James’s new bride, Louisa – and Yarri’s daughter, Wagadhaany, their Aboriginal servant, removing her from her beloved family and country. As a Quaker, Louisa’s mission is to help the Wiradjuri people, including Wagadhaany, and the two women develop an unorthodox friendship.
'In Wagga Wagga, Wagadhaany meets Yindyamarra, a young Wiradjuri stockman working for the Bradleys, and they fall deeply in love. They dream of a better life, of children, and of going home, away from the degradation of being owned – and one day, with their young family, they set out on a journey along the river of their ancestors in search of lost family and country – one that will bring hope and heartache.
'Set on timeless Wiradjuri country where the life-giving waters of the rivers can make or break dreams, and based on devastating true events, River of Dreams is an epic story of love, loss and belonging.'
(Source : Simon and Schuster)
Notes
-
Dedication : 'To all the unsung heroes and heroines who are part of our national story'
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Sound recording.
- Large print.
- Dyslexic edition.
Works about this Work
-
Brenda Saunders Reviews Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray by Anita Heiss
2022
single work
review
— Appears in: Mascara Literary Review , no. 28 2022;
— Review of Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray 2021 single work novel'In the ‘Prologue’, to her novel, Heiss introduces us to Aboriginal tribal life at the onset of colonial expnsion in southern NSW. This is Gundagai in 1838. She provides the historical setting for the action and events to follow. At this time Wagadhaany, the central Aboriginal character in this novel, is a small child living with her family along the Marrambidja Bila (Murrumbidgee River). She hears the adults complaining about the changes, the loss of their land, the clearing of their hunting grounds. They don’t understand why the settlers won’t listen to their advice. Heiss introduces the reader to Wiradjuri words and names, which give greater authenticity to her description of the river people and their culture. There is a glossary of Wiradjuri words and reference notes included at the end of the book.' (Introduction)
-
Flooded In and the Way Out
2022
single work
review
— Appears in: Sydney Review of Books , November 2022;
— Review of Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray 2021 single work novel'As a part time local to Bundjalung Country and someone who grew up in the flood prone Clarence Valley, I am no stranger to flood stories. As I reflect on recent and historical flood events, it is apparent that First Nations knowledges about the land have been undervalued at best. At worst, they have been flatly ignored. The failure to truly listen and observe has led to the establishment of permanent settlements in areas well-known to us to flood frequently in significant and devastating ways. Humans and livelihoods have drowned and been washed away, literally and figuratively. In the muddy depths of grief that is left behind, there are lessons to be had, opportunities to reimagine and reconfigure settler relations with the land. In fact, the emerging climate crisis, the inevitability of future disasters and the threat of another year of La Niña demands this of us all. And for each flood story, there is an Aboriginal Hero in whom our future navigational path resides.' (Introduction)
-
Truth and Fiction Flow through River of Dreams
2021
single work
column
— Appears in: Koori Mail , 19 May no. 751 2021; (p. 12) 'FORGET about not judging a book by its cover. From the moment you lay your hands on Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray, the new historical fiction by acclaimed Wiradyuri author Anita Heiss, you know it is going to be something special.' -
y
At Home with Anita Heiss
Astrid Edwards
(interviewer),
2021
23449892
2021
single work
podcast
interview
'Dr Anita Heiss is an award-winning author of non-fiction, historical fiction, commercial women’s fiction, children’s novels and blogs. She is a proud member of the Wiradjuri Nation of central New South Wales, an Ambassador for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, the GO Foundation and Worawa Aboriginal College.
'Her novel Barbed Wire and Cherry Blossoms, set in Cowra during World War II, was the 2020 University of Canberra Book of the Year. Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray is her second work of historical fiction, and it is the first commercial work published with only Aboriginal language on the cover in Australia.
'Anita is a board member of University of Queensland Press and Circa Contemporary Circus, and is a Professor of Communications at the University of Queensland. As an artist in residence at La Boite Theatre in 2020, Anita began adapting her novel Tiddas for the stage.' (Production introduction)
-
River of Despair : Anita Heiss's New Race-fiction
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: Quadrant , September vol. 65 no. 9 2021; (p. 34-37)
— Review of Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray 2021 single work novel
-
Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray by Anita Heiss Review – A Mighty and Generous Heartsong
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 21 May 2021;
— Review of Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray 2021 single work novel'Heiss’s indelible new novel is at once a joyful love story, a celebration of language, and an invitation to trace the old wounds of our history.'
-
Anita Heiss, Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 22-28 May 2021;
— Review of Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray 2021 single work novel'Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray begins in Gundagai in 1852. It is the story of Wagadhaany, a young Wiradyuri woman who is coming of age when a great flood devastates her homeland and community. After the flood, Wagadhaany is taken to Wagga Wagga by a white family who appoint her as their servant under the colonial system. Her family is distraught at her departure but are threatened with the Master and Servant Act should they refuse.' (Introduction)
-
River of Dreams : Anita Heiss’s New Novel
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , June no. 432 2021; (p. 38)
— Review of Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray 2021 single work novel 'There are two famous statues in the Gundagai area. One is the Dog on the Tuckerbox. The other is of two heroes, Yarri and Jacky Jacky, who, with other Wiradjuri men, went out in their bark canoes on many exhausting and dangerous forays to rescue an estimated sixty-nine people from the Great Flood of 1852.' (Introduction) -
River of Despair : Anita Heiss's New Race-fiction
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: Quadrant , September vol. 65 no. 9 2021; (p. 34-37)
— Review of Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray 2021 single work novel -
Flooded In and the Way Out
2022
single work
review
— Appears in: Sydney Review of Books , November 2022;
— Review of Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray 2021 single work novel'As a part time local to Bundjalung Country and someone who grew up in the flood prone Clarence Valley, I am no stranger to flood stories. As I reflect on recent and historical flood events, it is apparent that First Nations knowledges about the land have been undervalued at best. At worst, they have been flatly ignored. The failure to truly listen and observe has led to the establishment of permanent settlements in areas well-known to us to flood frequently in significant and devastating ways. Humans and livelihoods have drowned and been washed away, literally and figuratively. In the muddy depths of grief that is left behind, there are lessons to be had, opportunities to reimagine and reconfigure settler relations with the land. In fact, the emerging climate crisis, the inevitability of future disasters and the threat of another year of La Niña demands this of us all. And for each flood story, there is an Aboriginal Hero in whom our future navigational path resides.' (Introduction)
-
y
At Home with Anita Heiss
Astrid Edwards
(interviewer),
2021
23449892
2021
single work
podcast
interview
'Dr Anita Heiss is an award-winning author of non-fiction, historical fiction, commercial women’s fiction, children’s novels and blogs. She is a proud member of the Wiradjuri Nation of central New South Wales, an Ambassador for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, the GO Foundation and Worawa Aboriginal College.
'Her novel Barbed Wire and Cherry Blossoms, set in Cowra during World War II, was the 2020 University of Canberra Book of the Year. Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray is her second work of historical fiction, and it is the first commercial work published with only Aboriginal language on the cover in Australia.
'Anita is a board member of University of Queensland Press and Circa Contemporary Circus, and is a Professor of Communications at the University of Queensland. As an artist in residence at La Boite Theatre in 2020, Anita began adapting her novel Tiddas for the stage.' (Production introduction)
-
Truth and Fiction Flow through River of Dreams
2021
single work
column
— Appears in: Koori Mail , 19 May no. 751 2021; (p. 12) 'FORGET about not judging a book by its cover. From the moment you lay your hands on Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray, the new historical fiction by acclaimed Wiradyuri author Anita Heiss, you know it is going to be something special.'
Awards
- 2022 shortlisted Queensland Literary Awards — The Courier-Mail People's Choice Queensland Book of the Year
- 2022 shortlisted Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) — Audiobook of the Year Narrated by Tamala Shelton.
- 2022 winner New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards — Indigenous Writer's Prize
- 2022 shortlisted Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) — Australian General Fiction Book of the Year
- 2022 longlisted The Stella Prize
- Gundagai, Gundagai area, Southeastern NSW, New South Wales,
- Wagga Wagga, Wagga Wagga area, Riverina - Murray area, New South Wales,
- 1850s