It also addresses the historical, political and sociological reasons that led to British settlement. You could be transported for as much as the crime of murder or for as little as stealing an apple. Add to Watchlist. The gratuitous sadism of the life led by the convicts, especially in Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania) and on Norfolk Island is horrifically described, as is the way women were.treated. Hughes stays with the colorful deep history, but often pops up for air with an apt commentary on today’s Australia. Fate must have seemed cruel indeed, to those first Britons transported as convicts to Australia. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. This is a truly excellent work of history. Amazing book. Details of The Fatal Shore. Added to Watchlist. Usually, happy users leave information about the quality, ease of use and other facts. So when I stumbled on it at our local used bookstore, I decided to try it. Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. I find that Robert Hughes writing is, well, florid. Although “The Pogues” used the phrase for an album title, the term “Rum, Sodomy & the Lash” is actually from an abbreviated quote by Winston Churchill while describing British Naval tradition. Geoffrey Blainey has written two volumes on the history of the people of Australia. In fact, there's almost 'too much' detail but for me, I just lapped it up. As Art Linkletter used to say: People are funny. Hughes was an Australian man who became an internationally well-known art critic, living in Europe and then New York, where he became art critic for Time magazine. It was first published in 1986. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 December 2012.
I had intended, for decades, to read this book and finally found the time to do it justice. Yet it is the story of the founding of a modern nation whose development was coetaneous with the last century of America's slave period, if even more savage and barbaric. This book is also huge, epic, and sometimes hard to read. Use our search system and download ebook for computer, smartphone or online reading. The good the bad and the ugly. Fatal Shore is a brilliant history of how even the destitute and outcasts of Great Britain made a superior contribution to world civilization equal to what they had done in the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. The English felt that just as shoemakers make shoes, this class produced crime.''. Continuous automatic checking and verification of file checksums ensures that there are no viruses or adware. Robert Studley Forrest Hughes, AO was an Australian art critic, writer and television documentary maker who has resided in New York since 1970. It was first published in 1986. Anyone who has ever wondered why so much in Australia is named MacQuarie will find the answer in these pages.Hughes also explores the illogicality of Transportation.
In general yes. Files of e-books are free only for personal use without the possibility of distribution. You are taken away to 'a hulk' (a prison on a stinking old warship in a dockyard). As he spins his tale, he destroys some of the myths that Australians still accept as truths and verifies others through his impeccable research. What shines through is the way in which the early settlement of Australia forged the Australian character and gave rise to the country that is now more familiar to the world. There's a problem loading this menu at the moment. The emotional baggage wasn’t there though; I haven’t had a lifetime of experiencing the politicisation of Australia’s history. Files were found automatically and may be incorrect (wrong). The Fatal Shore is a must-read for those who think the English have ever been a civilised nation. Absolutely fantastic.
Among the group were Germaine Greer and Clive James.
It has its priorities right. At every turn, the reader shakes his head in wild disbelief. Add Image. The Fatal Shore details past horrors of a familiar place, a culture that doesn’t feel foreign to me. However, if you are interested, you can read the information about Privacy Policy and Cookies Policy on a special page. I just finished The Fatal Shore and am looking for a comparable read about modern Australian history after 1890. Reading this will open your eyes to a world that is long gone, as well as a greater understanding of the British colonial past and its legacy. Anyone with an interest in European colonisation. Around this time he wrote a history of Australian painting, titled The Art of Australia, which is still considered to be an important work.