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y separately published work icon Hunger Town : A Novel single work   novel   historical fiction  
Issue Details: First known date: 2014... 2014 Hunger Town : A Novel
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

''Here,' he shouted, 'here is a daughter of the working class. Not your idle rich dressed in silks and satins. She has to work every day. Tell them what you think of capitalism,' he insisted, still gripping my hand. 'Tell them what it's like to be a poor woman in grinding employment.'

'In the violent and despairing years of Australia's Great Depression, Judith Larsen grows up on a coaling hulk in the Port Adelaide River. The Australian political landscape is changing and unemployment, hunger, protests and police reprisals spawn new radical ideas for managing society.

'Judith falls in love with Harry, an idealistic dreamer who embraces the dogma of the Communist Party while she flourishes as a satirical cartoonist. Political tensions rise between them but when Harry's life is threatened Judith embarks on a perilous journey across the world to save him. In doing so she comes face to face with the cruelty and oppression of fascism and the importance of those who fight against it.

'Drawn from family recollections and based on historical events, this powerful Australian novel tells of brave people caught up in the inspiration and the pity of great but lost causes.' (Publication summary)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Mile End, West Torrens area, Adelaide - South West, Adelaide, South Australia,: Wakefield Press , 2014 .
      image of person or book cover 1372852835068316159.jpg
      Image courtesy of publisher's website.
      Extent: 456p.
      Note/s:
      • Published October 2014
      ISBN: 9781743053362

Works about this Work

Idealism and Guns Victoria Avery , 2016 single work essay
— Appears in: Antipodes , June vol. 30 no. 1 2016; (p. 230-231)
'The particular tensions of the community reflect how people would react anywhere to the threat of economic security. [...]each public protest against the constraints placed on the community ends in confusion at best and violence in the most extreme cases. While Judith tries to feel empowered through her artwork, once again her efforts ultimately prove ineffectual in the long term. [...]the book raises concerns over the value of art during economic hardships as Judith herself begins to question whether art can influence material conditions during trying times.' (Publication abstract)
Book Review : Hunger Town Fotini Dangiris , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: Good Reading , June 2015; (p. 39)

— Review of Hunger Town : A Novel Wendy Scarfe , 2014 single work novel
Well Read Katharine England , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 27 June 2015; (p. 32)

— Review of An Ordinary Epidemic Amanda Hickie , 2015 single work novel ; Hunger Town : A Novel Wendy Scarfe , 2014 single work novel
Wendy Scarfe, Hunger Town Kathleen Steele , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: Transnational Literature , May vol. 7 no. 2 2015;

— Review of Hunger Town : A Novel Wendy Scarfe , 2014 single work novel
Wendy Scarfe, Hunger Town Kathleen Steele , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: Transnational Literature , May vol. 7 no. 2 2015;

— Review of Hunger Town : A Novel Wendy Scarfe , 2014 single work novel
Well Read Katharine England , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 27 June 2015; (p. 32)

— Review of An Ordinary Epidemic Amanda Hickie , 2015 single work novel ; Hunger Town : A Novel Wendy Scarfe , 2014 single work novel
Book Review : Hunger Town Fotini Dangiris , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: Good Reading , June 2015; (p. 39)

— Review of Hunger Town : A Novel Wendy Scarfe , 2014 single work novel
Idealism and Guns Victoria Avery , 2016 single work essay
— Appears in: Antipodes , June vol. 30 no. 1 2016; (p. 230-231)
'The particular tensions of the community reflect how people would react anywhere to the threat of economic security. [...]each public protest against the constraints placed on the community ends in confusion at best and violence in the most extreme cases. While Judith tries to feel empowered through her artwork, once again her efforts ultimately prove ineffectual in the long term. [...]the book raises concerns over the value of art during economic hardships as Judith herself begins to question whether art can influence material conditions during trying times.' (Publication abstract)
Last amended 9 Apr 2015 09:18:59
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