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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'In the aftermath of the Second World War, an Australian soldier, Wesley Cress, a hero of the underground resistance on German-occupied Crete, seeks solace and comfort on King Island, in the mouth of Bass Strait, in the Roaring Forties latitude of the Southern Ocean.
'Wesley carries in his heart the infernal story of the Battle of Crete, the disappearance of his brother in the ensuing evacuation, and the hellish journey he was forced to take after he was left behind on the ancient island.
'When he meets Leonie Fermoy, the granddaughter of an American whaler with her own nightmares, the private and the public battles of their post-war worlds begin to fuse. Through the agency of John Lascelles - the unassuming postmaster on the island and a crusader for the rights of returned soldiers - Wes and Leonie attempt to negotiate a future in which love can prevail in a morally devastated world.
'Archipelago of Souls is a novel exploring the difficult realities of nationhood, war, morality and love. Compelling and beautifully realised, it is about the creation of identity, the enigmas of memory and the power of the written word to heal the deepest wounds.'
Notes
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Dedication: for the hidden ones.
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Epigraph:
Alone is the swallow and costly the spring
For the sun to turn it takes a lot of work
It takes a thousand dead sweating at the wheels
It takes the living also shedding their blood
–Odysseus Elytis
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Review : Archipelago of Souls
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: Southerly , vol. 75 no. 3 2016; (p. 251-255)
— Review of Archipelago of Souls 2015 single work novel -
New Novel Inspired by Crete at War
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: Neos Kosmos , 17 June 2015;
— Review of Archipelago of Souls 2015 single work novel 'Few writers of fiction have taken the Battle of Crete as their inspiration, but Gregory Day's latest work looks to be a precious addition to the genre.' -
Review : Archipelago of Souls
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: Good Reading , November 2015; (p. 44)
— Review of Archipelago of Souls 2015 single work novel -
Annette Marfording’s Best Reads of 2015
2015
single work
column
— Appears in: Rochford Street Review , October - December no. 16 2015; -
Gregory Day : Archipelago of Souls
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Newtown Review of Books , October 2015;
— Review of Archipelago of Souls 2015 single work novel
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Islands in His Dreams
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 27-28 June 2015; (p. 19)
— Review of Archipelago of Souls 2015 single work novel -
Island Hopping from Longing to Loneliness
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 8-9 August 2015; (p. 29) The Saturday Age , 8-9 August 2015; (p. 29)
— Review of Archipelago of Souls 2015 single work novel -
No Mirage
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , August no. 373 2015; (p. 25)
— Review of Archipelago of Souls 2015 single work novel -
Well Read
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 1 August 2015; (p. 32)
— Review of Archipelago of Souls 2015 single work novel ; Salt Creek 2015 single work novel -
Gregory Day : Archipelago of Souls
2015
single work
review
— Appears in: The Newtown Review of Books , October 2015;
— Review of Archipelago of Souls 2015 single work novel -
Gregory Day
Jane Sullivan
(interviewer),
2015
single work
interview
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 4-5 July 2015; (p. 24-25) The Age , 4 July 2015; (p. 30)'Love and redemption underscore the story of how an Australian soldier in World War II united Crete and King Island.'
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Annette Marfording’s Best Reads of 2015
2015
single work
column
— Appears in: Rochford Street Review , October - December no. 16 2015;
Awards
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Crete,
cGreece,cWestern Europe, Europe,
- King Island, Bass Strait Islands, Tasmania,