AustLit

'The award-winning author of Terra Nullius returns with an ambitious new novel melding speculative fiction, war and history.'

'Claire G. Coleman’s science fiction novel The Old Lie (2019) evokes the blemished chapters of Australia’s history as the basis of a dystopian futuristic Earth. By using the metaphor of a secular apocalypse (Weaver) wrapped in the form of a space opera, she interrogates historical colonialism on a much larger scale to bring to the fore the distinctive Indigenous experience of Australia’s terra nullius and its horrific offshoots: the Stolen Generations, nuclear tests on Aboriginal land and the treatment of Indigenous war veteran, but this time experienced by the people of the futuristic Earth. Following a brief introduction of the concept of the “Native Apocalypse” (Dillon) in the framework of Indigenous futurism, the paper discusses Coleman’s innovative use of space opera embedded in Wilfred Owen’s famous WWI poem “Dulce et Decorum Est”. The analysis focuses on four allegedly separate stories in the novel which eventually interweave into a single narrative about “the old lie”. In keeping with the twenty-first-century Indigenous futurism, Coleman’s novel does not provide easy answers. Instead, the end brings the reader to the beginning of the novel in the same state of disillusionment as Owen’s lyrical subject.

' (Publication abstract)

'In Claire G Coleman's second novel The Old Lie, the earth is under attack by the invading forces of the Conglomeration.

'Humans fight back and join the intergalactic Federation to defend their homeland.

'But it turns out humans aren't full citizens of the Federation and can't easily return.

'The Old Lie is a follow up to Claire's Stella prize shortlisted novel Terra Nullius.

'Through a creative use of historical and science fiction, Terra Nullius explored the dispossession of Indigenous people.

'The Old Lie also uses speculative fiction to confront the legacy of the Stolen Generations. It's set in the future but it's about the past.' (Production summary)

'Claire G. Coleman is a Noongar woman whose family have belonged to the south coast of Western Australia since long before history started being recorded. She writes fiction, essays, poetry and art writing while either living in Naarm (Melbourne) or on the road. In 2021 she released her first work of non-fiction, Lies, Damned Lies: A personal exploration of the impact of colonisation.

'During an extended circuit of the continent she wrote a novel, Terra Nullius: A Novel, which won the black&write! Indigenous Writing Fellowship and was listed for eight awards including a shortlisting for The Stella Prize. Her second novel was The Old Lie, and her third, Enclave, will hopefully be released in 2022.' (Production introduction)