Death of a River Guide

Death of a River Guide is a 1994 novel by Australian author Richard Flanagan. Death of a River Guide was Flanagan's first novel.[1]

Death of a River Guide
Cover of 1994 McPhee Gribble paperback edition
AuthorRichard Flanagan
Cover artistDesign: Beth McKinlay; Illustration: Patrick Hall
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
GenreNovel
PublisherMcPhee Gribble, Australia
Publication date
1994
Media typePrint Paperback
Pages326 pp
ISBN0-86914-344-1
OCLC32780236
823 20
LC ClassPR9619.3.F525 D43 1994
Followed byThe Sound of One Hand Clapping (1997) 

Synopsis

As Aljaz Cosini lies dying at the bottom of a river in Tasmania he starts to experience a series of flashbacks, forcing him to re-examine his own life.

Critical reception

The reviewer on The Novel Approach website stated: "It's startling (and, quite frankly, a little depressing) to realise that Death of a River Guide is Flanagan's first novel. Not only is he in complete command of the language—in his descriptions of Aljaz's interiority as well as his bountiful descriptions of the Franklin River and its surroundings—but structurally, too, the novel is almost perfect."[2]

In The Canberra Times Marian Eldridge noted the connection between character and landscape: "Land use, convicts, brutality, migration, and racial prejudice all are strands in Aljaz's heritage. When, I wondered, are we going to consider the original inhabitants of this beautiful island? I was not disappointed. What the author has created is a picture of an individual that is also a mosaic of the history of Tasmania."[3]

Awards

Notes

This novel has been translated into French (2000), Slovenian (2003), Dutch (2003), Spanish (2003), German (2004), Italian (2005), Polish (2017) and Bulgarian (2018).[1]

Interviews
  • "The Write Stuff" - interview by Giles Hugo

See also

References
  1. "Austlit - Death of a River Guide". Austlit. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  2. "Death of a River Guide (1994) – Richard FLANAGAN". 16 September 2013.
  3. ""The unfolding visions of a river guide's last moments"". The Canberra Times, 31 December 1994, p23. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  4. "Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature - Previous Winners". State Library of SA. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  5. "Austlit - Sheaffer Pen Prize for First Fiction (1993-1995)". Austlit. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  6. "Austlit - Death of a River Guide - Awards". Austlit. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  7. ""Four novels compete for literary award"". The Canberra Times, 6 May 1995, p5. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
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