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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'One day, Alice said, ‘Eric Lane wants to take me to—’
'For the first time, her mother attended, standing still.
'Eric was brought to the house, and Eric and Alice were married before there was time to say ‘knife’. How did it happen? She tried to trace it back. She was watching her mother performing for Eric, and then (she always paused here in her mind), somehow, she woke up married and in another house.
'Internationally acclaimed for her five brilliant novels, Elizabeth Harrower is also the author of a small body of short fiction. A Few Days in the Country brings together for the first time her stories published in Australian journals in the 1960s and 1970s, along with those from her archives—including ‘Alice’, published for the first time earlier this year in the New Yorker.
'Essential reading for Harrower fans, these finely turned pieces show a broader range than the novels, ranging from caustic satires to gentler explorations of friendship.' (Publication summary)
Contents
- The Fun of the Fair, single work short story (p. 1-14)
- The City at Night, single work short story (p. 33-40)
- Summertime, single work short story (p. 41-58)
- The North Sea, single work short story (p. 59-76)
- The Cornucopia, single work short story (p. 77-102)
- The Beautiful Climate, single work short story (p. 103-120)
- Lance Harper, His Story, single work short story (p. 121-132)
- The Cost of Things, single work short story (p. 133-154)
- English Lesson, single work short story (p. 155-164)
- 'It Is Margaret', single work short story (p. 165-182)
- A Few Days in the Country, single work short story (p. 184-203)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Also sound recording.
Works about this Work
-
The Stella Interview : Elizabeth Harrower
2018
single work
interview
— Appears in: The Stella Interviews 2018;'Elizabeth Harrower’s collection of short stories, A Few Days in the Country: And Other Stories is shortlisted for the 2016 Stella Prize. We spoke to Elizabeth about literary villains, reasons for writing and her trusty Olympia typewriter.'(Introduction)
-
Three Generations of Sydney Women Finalists for the 2016 Kibble Literary Award
2016
single work
column
— Appears in: Brisbane Times , 7 June 2016; 'Three generations of Sydney women are represented on the shortlist for the $30,000 Kibble Literary Award for women's life writing. ...' -
Stella Achievement for Author Who Returned from Exile
2016
single work
column
— Appears in: The Australian , 11 March 2016; (p. 14) -
The Forked Garden Path : Jonathan Dunk Reviews ‘A Few Days in the Country: And Other Stories’ by Elizabeth Harrower
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: Rochford Street Review , July-September no. 19 2016;
— Review of A Few Days in the Country : And Other Stories 2015 selected work short story -
Well Read
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 12 December 2015; (p. 26)
— Review of The Women's Pages 2015 single work novel ; A Few Days in the Country : And Other Stories 2015 selected work short story
-
Sharp Focus on the Abuse of Power
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sunday Age , 25 October 2015; (p. 17)
— Review of A Few Days in the Country : And Other Stories 2015 selected work short story -
Not Remotely Cheered by the Social Order
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 31 October - 1 November 2015; (p. 18)
— Review of A Few Days in the Country : And Other Stories 2015 selected work short story -
Acute Pictures That Delve into the Marrow
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 28-29 November 2015; (p. 24-25) The Saturday Age , 28-29 November 2015; (p. 24)
— Review of A Few Days in the Country : And Other Stories 2015 selected work short story -
How Best to Behave
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , December no. 377 2015; (p. 23)
— Review of A Few Days in the Country : And Other Stories 2015 selected work short story -
Well Read
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 12 December 2015; (p. 26)
— Review of The Women's Pages 2015 single work novel ; A Few Days in the Country : And Other Stories 2015 selected work short story -
Stella Achievement for Author Who Returned from Exile
2016
single work
column
— Appears in: The Australian , 11 March 2016; (p. 14) -
Three Generations of Sydney Women Finalists for the 2016 Kibble Literary Award
2016
single work
column
— Appears in: Brisbane Times , 7 June 2016; 'Three generations of Sydney women are represented on the shortlist for the $30,000 Kibble Literary Award for women's life writing. ...' -
The Stella Interview : Elizabeth Harrower
2018
single work
interview
— Appears in: The Stella Interviews 2018;'Elizabeth Harrower’s collection of short stories, A Few Days in the Country: And Other Stories is shortlisted for the 2016 Stella Prize. We spoke to Elizabeth about literary villains, reasons for writing and her trusty Olympia typewriter.'(Introduction)
-
y
Beyond the Barren Landscape
West Sussex
:
University of Chichester
,
2016
17162187
2009
single work
essay
'Longlisted in the 2016 Competition, Nicole Mansour appreciates the murkier side of Australia in Elizabeth Harrower’s A Few Days in the Country: ‘Few Australian writers, in my opinion, traverse these dim corners of ambiguity, or unearth this more uncommon caliginosity from far beneath its exterior, in either their characters or their writing – Murray Bail and Gerard Murnane are notable exceptions. Elizabeth Harrower is another…’
Source: Publisher's blurb.
Awards
- 2016 shortlisted Western Australian Premier's Book Awards — Fiction
- 2016 shortlisted Kibble Literary Awards — Nita Kibble Literary Award
- 2016 shortlisted The Stella Prize
- 2016 joint winner Queensland Literary Awards — University of Southern Queensland Australian Short Story Collection – Steele Rudd Award
- 2015 longlisted Colin Roderick Award