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The Irishman (novel)

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The Irishman
First edition
AuthorElizabeth O'Conner
LanguageEnglish
PublisherAngus and Robertson, Australia
Publication date
1960
Publication placeAustralia
Media typePrint (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages318pp
Preceded by– 
Followed byFind a Woman 

The Irishman (1960) is a novel by Australian author Elizabeth O'Conner.[1] It won the 1960 Miles Franklin Award.[2]

Story outline

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The novel follows the experiences of Paddy Doolan, an Irish horse wagoner and his son Michael in the Gulf Country of north-eastern Australia.[3] It is set in the early 1920s when horse-drawn transport was challenged by the advent of motor vehicles and aircraft—change which Doolan cannot accept.[4]

Critical reception

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Lisa Hill on the ANZLitLovers Litblog noted: "O’Conner won the prize in 1960, in the years of postwar prosperity and well before the Swinging Sixties challenged long-established mores across the globe. Cities in Australia were being transformed by post-war immigration from Europe and by the growth in manufacturing which was driven by the sudden availability of cheap labour. The Irishman, however, explores a different period of transition. O’Conner was writing about what was already a vanished era – the inter-war years when bush life was being transformed by the arrival of the motor-vehicle in the early 1920s. While at one level it’s an engaging coming-of-age story, it is also the story of a remote community confronting decline."[4]

Film adaptation

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In 1978, the book was adapted for the screen and directed by Donald Crombie in a film of the same name. The film featured Michael Craig, Simon Burke and Robyn Nevin in the lead roles.

References

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  1. ^ "The Irishman by Elizabeth O'Connor". Austlit. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  2. ^ "Miles Franklin Award". Austlit. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  3. ^ Middlemiss, Perry "The Irishman", 11 September 2001. Accessed 10 July 2015
  4. ^ a b ""The Irishman" by Elizabeth O'Conner". ANZLitLovers Litblog. Retrieved 10 July 2023.