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From Booklist Wongar's tales are imbued with a profound concern for the adverse conditions facing Australia's diminishing indigenous tribes. In a uniquely abbreviated prose form, Wongar blends intriguing vignettes of contemporary predicaments and elements of myth and fantasy, all liberally flavored with humorous overtones. The wry narrative appears to be evidence of a skeptical eye observing white people's ways and their negative impact on Australia's vanishing native population. Wongar's revelatory depictions embrace essential beliefs of the Aboriginal culture in a compelling literary style. Alice Joyce
A collection of short stories captures the collision between traditional Aboriginal existence and the encroaching, often destructive, forces of modern Australian society. The protagonist figures in these vignettes navigate a landscape where ancient myth and harsh contemporary reality overlap, forcing them to confront the displacement and cultural erosion caused by external intervention. Wongar employs a concise, elliptical narrative framework that shifts between the grounded struggles of daily life and the surreal, symbolic logic of ancestral belief systems. These stories function as a critique of colonial impact, utilizing the dingo as a recurring motif for the resilience and eventual marginalization of the native population.
This collection is characterized by its sharp, economical prose and its ability to weave complex cultural critiques into brief, impactful narratives. The stories suggest a deliberate effort to contrast the permanence of indigenous spiritual heritage with the transient, often chaotic nature of modern industrial expansion. Readers likely encounter a challenging, thought-provoking experience that demands engagement with both the historical context of Australia and the symbolic language of the author. The work stands as a distinct entry in post-colonial literature, prioritizing the preservation of cultural memory through a unique, myth-infused lens.
Page Count:
136
Publication Date:
1993-01-01
Publisher:
Angus & Robertson
ISBN-10:
0207171475
ISBN-13:
9780207171475
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