The Ballad of Desmond Kale
Mr Darwin's Shooter | |
| Followed by | When Colts Ran |
|---|---|
The Ballad of Desmond Kale is a Miles Franklin Award-winning novel by Australian author Roger McDonald.[1]
Dedication
For Lorna McDonald
with love and thanks
for gifts of conversation, friendship, and example
over a lifetime
Synopsis
Desmond Kale escapes from his detention at Botany Bay and heads into the bush to look after a flock of Merino sheep. Meanwhile the wardens at the prison seek his re-arrest.
Critical reception
Luise Toma on "MC Reviews" noted:
McDonald tells his epic with opulence and a humour so understated you may find yourself laughing pages after you have read a joke because a regular brain is unable to process the author’s quick wit at appropriate speed. Capturing the lingo of the times and circumstances, in a way that makes me wonder whether the man might have a time machine stowed away in his estate’s stable, McDonald evokes a rich cast of foul-mouthed convicts and stiff officials, bumbling beaurocrats [sic] and long-suffering mothers, missionaries, indigenous folk, idiots and bush-philosophers. All of them come to life so easily and in such a convincing manner, the novel reads almost like a giant story board for something of the likes of Nick Cave's The Proposition.[2]
Awards
- Miles Franklin Award, winner 2006[3]
- International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, longlisted 2007[3]
- Festival Awards for Literature (SA) Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature — Award for Fiction, winner 2008[3]
References
- ^ "Austlit - The Ballad of Desmond Kale by Roger McDonald". Austlit. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ ""Literature: The Ballad of Desmond Kale by Roger McDonald"". MC Reviews. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ a b c "Austlit - The Ballad of Desmond Kale - Awards". Austlit. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
See also
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