peter carey true history of the kelly gang

It doesn't have the dustjacket, but as you will see, I like it better the way it is. I bought the US first edition first, but I waited patiently until an affordable true first UQP edition came my way. For ages I have had two editions of this novel on my TBR in my collection of Booker Prize winners. It was this month's #6Degrees that prompted me to read Peter Carey's award-winning True History of the Kelly Gang. It examines themes such as justice, colonialism, and class. Ned Kelly becomes a symbol for anti-authoritarianism and the embodiment of the underdog. This story is filled with adventure, conflict, and violence. I find I prefer to listen to dialect as opposed to reading the text. The audio is beautifully performed by Gianfranco Negroponte. After reading about a third of it in hard copy, I switched to audio, which was a good move. Ned Kelly’s education ended at an early age, so Carey has captured his voice in stream of consciousness with limited punctuation and questionable grammar. Since it is written in Ned’s voice, one may expect a sympathetic portrayal.

He is apprenticed to bushranger Harry Power, where he learns the trade of an “honorable thief.” The storyline follows his increasing level of crime and his motivations.Ĭarey gets into the head of the protagonist, imagining the majority of the content and wrapping it around the main factual events in Kelly’s life.

His father died when he was young, so he and his mother developed a close relationship. Ned Kelly was the eldest son of Ellen and John “Red” Kelly, an Irish transported convict. When I first picked it up, I thought it was non-fiction (just reading the title) however, I quickly realized it is a fictitious memoir, with Ned Kelly writing his life story to his infant daughter. Historical fiction about the life of notorious Australian outlaw Ned Kelly (1854-1880).

Peter carey true history of the kelly gang