David Walker, Emeritus Professor, Deakin University and author of Anxious Nation says:
You are warmly invited to join historian Dr Michael Williams, translator Ely Finch and Sydney University Press to celebrate the release of The Poison of Polygamy at our member organisation, the Chinese Australian Historical Society Inc’s, Sydney launch at Gleebooks in Glebe.
Dr Shirley Fitzgerald will be the guest speaker for the evening.
Date & Time | Friday, 11 October, 6pm | 6.30pm
Venue | Gleebooks, 49 Glebe Point Road, Glebe
RSVP: To RSVP, please click here
About the book |
Serialised 1909–10, The Poison of Polygamy is a rare gem of Australian literature. The first novel of the Chinese Australian experience, it is a roller-coaster tale of blackmail, murder, betrayal and even thylacine attack, partly based on real people, places and events. Revealing the human face of migration between imperial China and colonial Australia, it recounts the story of a man from southern China who tries his luck on the Victorian goldfields, the wife he leaves behind, and their eventual fraught reunion.
In this bilingual edition, Australia’s and possibly the West’s earliest Chinese-language novel is presented in English translation for the first time. Illuminating introductions explore the work’s historical, cultural and linguistic context, and establish its unique significance in Australia’s literary and social history.
“The discovery of The Poison of Polygamy and its publication in this highly informative bilingual edition is a double happiness. It gives readers a highly entertaining new novel, replete with drama, emotion and intrigue. At the same time it documents Chinese Australian life in a key period of history.” Nicholas Jose, author of Avenue of Eternal Peace
