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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'Alfonso is a short novel set in Sydney between 1962 and 1971. The protagonist is a man from the northwest of Spain who migrates to Australia to escape poverty. When he arrives in Australia he confronts language problems, homesickness and isolation. He works as a carpenter and eventually buys an old house in Surry Hills, unaware of the cost and commitment associated with old houses and feuding neighbours. When the house is finished he meets a woman and they fall in love, but the woman leaves for England. The story then traces his search for love and in the process he finds a way to belong in his new country. More than a love story, this is a novella about the migrant experience in which all that is known is forfeited in the search for material security.'
Source: Author's blog (http://ahatfulofcherries.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/alfonso.html). (Sighted: 31/1/2014)
Notes
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Dedication:
For my Grandchildren
Isabella, Sebastian, Julia, Roman, and Lucia
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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In the Quiet Company of a Dreamer
2016
single work
single work
essay
— Appears in: Antipodes , June vol. 30 no. 1 2016; (p. 230-231)
— Review of Alfonso 2013 single work novel'The four walls he had washed and painted twice as a gesture of friendship would have captured, as a mirror would, his frustration at trying to sew on a button, or trying not to scorch a new shirt; his clumsy attempts at cooking dinner with half of the ingredients missing until he trained himself to write a shopping list before going shopping; his relentless learning and relearning of English words; his chores of washing, cleaning, daily bed-making, and weekly changing of the bed sheets. (33) For the reader, the tangible objects in Alfonso's home take center stage: the carrots and potatoes he is cooking for dinner, the cabinets he restores, and the telephone that does not ring.' (Publication abstract)
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Viaxes Literarias E Culturais Entre Galicia E Australia
2015
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Rosendo Salvado Eo Aborixe of Australia 2015; (p. 209-228) -
What You're Reading : Alfonso
2014
single work
review
— Appears in: Good Reading , October 2014; (p. 72)
— Review of Alfonso 2013 single work novel -
What You're Reading : Alfonso
2014
single work
review
— Appears in: Good Reading , May 2014; (p. 72)
— Review of Alfonso 2013 single work novel -
Review : Alfonso
2014
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , May no. 361 2014; (p. 51)
— Review of Alfonso 2013 single work novel
-
Review : Alfonso
2014
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , May no. 361 2014; (p. 51)
— Review of Alfonso 2013 single work novel -
What You're Reading : Alfonso
2014
single work
review
— Appears in: Good Reading , May 2014; (p. 72)
— Review of Alfonso 2013 single work novel -
What You're Reading : Alfonso
2014
single work
review
— Appears in: Good Reading , October 2014; (p. 72)
— Review of Alfonso 2013 single work novel -
In the Quiet Company of a Dreamer
2016
single work
single work
essay
— Appears in: Antipodes , June vol. 30 no. 1 2016; (p. 230-231)
— Review of Alfonso 2013 single work novel'The four walls he had washed and painted twice as a gesture of friendship would have captured, as a mirror would, his frustration at trying to sew on a button, or trying not to scorch a new shirt; his clumsy attempts at cooking dinner with half of the ingredients missing until he trained himself to write a shopping list before going shopping; his relentless learning and relearning of English words; his chores of washing, cleaning, daily bed-making, and weekly changing of the bed sheets. (33) For the reader, the tangible objects in Alfonso's home take center stage: the carrots and potatoes he is cooking for dinner, the cabinets he restores, and the telephone that does not ring.' (Publication abstract)
-
Viaxes Literarias E Culturais Entre Galicia E Australia
2015
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Rosendo Salvado Eo Aborixe of Australia 2015; (p. 209-228)
- Sydney, New South Wales,
- 1962-1971