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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'Set in Brisbane during the stultifying 1950s, and moving to the grubby London of the 1970s, Feather Man is about Sooky, who, ignored by her parents, is encouraged to make herself scarce and visit Lionel, their elderly next dour neighbour. McMaster brings Brisbane to life, depicting a home full of powerful emblems, The Thor washing machine thunders away. A kookaburra is perched on the oven door. Following Sooky from her neglected childhood to womanhood and her entry into the an world, the book combines comedy with emotional intensity. When Sooky's attraction to Redmond leads her to London, her past follows her into the future in a deadly confrontation' (Book jacket, American edition).
Notes
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Feather Man was longlisted for the 2009 British World Book Day.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Sound recording.
Works about this Work
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Engaging the Metaphorical City : Brisbane Male Fiction 1975-2007
2011
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Sweat : The Subtropical Imaginary 2011; (p. 45-53) 'Brisbane writers and writing are increasingly represented as important to the city's identity as a site of urban cool, at least in marketing and public relations paradigms. It is therefore remarkable that recent Brisbane fiction clings strongly to a particular relationship to the climatic and built environment that is often located in the past and which seemingly turns away, or at least elides, the 'new' technologically-driven Brisbane. Literary Brisbane is often depicted in the context of nostalgia for the Brisbane that once was—a tropical, timbered, luxuriant city in which sex is associated with heat, and, in particular, sweat. In this writing sweat can produced by adrenaline or heat, but in particular, in Brisbane novels, it is the sweat of sex that characterises the literary city. Given that Brisbane is in fact a subtropical city, it is interesting that metaphors of a tropical climate and vegetation occur so frequently in Brisbane stories (and narratives set in other parts of the state) that writer Thea Astley was prompted at one point to remark that Queensland writing was in danger of developing into a tropical cliché.' Susan Carson. -
Debbie Lim Reviews Feather Man by Rhyll McMaster
2010
single work
review
— Appears in: Mascara Literary Review , May no. 7 2010;
— Review of Feather Man 2007 single work novel -
Letter Home : England, Later...
2009
single work
column
— Appears in: Australian Author , April vol. 41 no. 1 2009; (p. 34) -
Reclaiming Identity in Rhyll McMaster's Feather Man
2008
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Hecate , vol. 34 no. 2 2008; (p. 127-136) -
Undercover
2008
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 16-17 August 2008; (p. 26) A column canvassing current literary news including brief reports on the shortlist for the inaugural Prime Minister's Literary Awards and the inclusion of Rhyll McMaster's Feather Man on USA independent booksellers' picks for September 2008. Wyndham also notes that Nam Le will be a guest at the 2008 Edinburgh Book Festival.
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Artist's Journey Is Richly Drawn
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 28-29 April 2007; (p. 32-33)
— Review of Feather Man 2007 single work novel -
[Review] Feather Man
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: Bookseller + Publisher Magazine , April/May vol. 86 no. 8 2007; (p. 37)
— Review of Feather Man 2007 single work novel -
Books Fiction
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 5 - 6 May 2007; (p. 30)
— Review of Feather Man 2007 single work novel -
Mystery, Intensity Strikes Home
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 2-3 June 2007; (p. 9)
— Review of Feather Man 2007 single work novel -
No Sweetness in Bitter Tale of Abuse
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 23 June 2007; (p. 12)
— Review of Feather Man 2007 single work novel -
Plotting a Novel Left Poet at a Loss for Words
2008
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 29-30 March 2008; (p. 13) -
Novelist Wins Prize for 'Empowering Women'
2008
single work
column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 29-30 March 2008; (p. 3) -
An Appreciation : Rhyll McMaster
2008
single work
column
— Appears in: Newswrite : The NSW Writers' Centre Magazine , June/July no. 179 2008; (p. 13) -
'Lost Dog' Has Its Day
2008
single work
column
— Appears in: Bookseller + Publisher Magazine , July vol. 88 no. 1 2008; (p. 8) -
Undercover
2008
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 16-17 August 2008; (p. 26) A column canvassing current literary news including brief reports on the shortlist for the inaugural Prime Minister's Literary Awards and the inclusion of Rhyll McMaster's Feather Man on USA independent booksellers' picks for September 2008. Wyndham also notes that Nam Le will be a guest at the 2008 Edinburgh Book Festival.
Awards
- 2008 winner New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards — UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing
- 2008 shortlisted ASAL Awards — ALS Gold Medal
- 2008 inaugural winner Barbara Jefferis Award
- 2007 shortlisted Victorian Premier's Literary Awards — Prize for Fiction
Last amended 5 Jun 2020 11:08:08
Settings:
- Brisbane, Queensland,
-
London,
cEngland,ccUnited Kingdom (UK),cWestern Europe, Europe,
- 1950s
- 1960s
- 1970s
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