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TEXT PUBLISHINGJANUARY–J UNE 2017
THE TEXT PUBLISHING COMPANY JANUARY– JUNE 2017Swann House, Level 10, 22 William StreetMelbourne Victoria 3000 Australiap: 613 8610 4500 f: 613 9629 ts02 Text Classics21 The Last Thread Michael Sala22 The Lost Book of the Grail Charlie Lovett23 The High Mountains of PortugalYann MartelJANUARY04 The Trapeze Act Libby Angel05 Something for the Pain Gerald Murnane06 Our Tiny, Useless Hearts Toni JordanFEBRUARY07 One Leg Over Robin Dalton08 The Case Against Fragrance Kate Grenville10 Griffith Review 55 Edited by JulianneSchultz and Patrick Allington11 Winter Traffic Stephen Greenall12 Fear Dirk Kurbjuweit14 The Trap Melanie Raabe15 The Life of Elves Muriel BarberyMARCH1617181920An Uncertain Grace Krissy KneenPeak Patricia and Don EdgarThe World Made Straight Ron RashBright Air Black David VannThe Restorer Michael 829303132Cooee Vivienne KellyThe Starlings Vivienne KellyA Land Without Borders Nir BaramSorry to Disrupt the PeacePatty Yumi CottrellThe Plains Gerald MurnaneEverywhere I Look Helen GarnerA Writing Life Bernadette BrennanThe Shadow Land Elizabeth KostovaMAY33 Expecting Chitra Ramaswamy34 The Last Garden Eva Hornung36 Griffith Review 56 Edited by JulianneSchultz and Jerath Head37 Freeman’s: Home John Freeman (ed.)38 The Only Girl in the World Maude Julienwith Ursula GauthierCatalogue cover design Imogen StubbsCatalogue design/productionJessica Horrocks and Imogen StubbsEditorial /co-ordination Elena Gomez40 Cure Jo MarchantJUNE4142444546Some Tests Wayne MacauleyAnaesthesia Kate Cole-AdamsLosing It Moira BurkeFever at Dawn Péter GárdosThe Bright Hour Nina RiggsTEXT FOR YA & CHILDREN50 Night Swimming Steph Bowe52 Survivors Club Michael Bornsteinand Debbie Bornstein Holinstat53 Marsh and Me Martine Murray54 Ballad for a Mad Girl Vikki WakefieldBACKLIST, RIGHTS, ETC.5862646668fiction backlist highlightsnon-fiction backlist highlightsYA & children backlist highlightsebooks & distributionrights
‘Flipping through the Text Classicsburgeoning catalog feels likediscovering the strange untoldwonders of a whole new continent,which in fact it is.’ Seattle Times‘Text Publishing has done somuch to save Australia’s literaryheritage from oblivion, it deservessome sort of award.’Australian Financial ReviewTo kick off 2017, Text Classics is publishingMadame Midas by Fergus Hume (introducedby Clare Wright), Blue Skies by Helen Hodgman(introduced by Danielle Wood) and Tobruk 1941by Chester Wilmot (introduced by Peter Cochrane).2
PORTRAITS BY W. H. CHONGFour novels by Robin Kleinwill be published in March:Came Back to Show You I Could Fly,All in the Blue Unclouded Weather,Dresses of Red and Gold,and The Sky in Silver Lace.And from Amy Witting—author ofI for Isobel—two novels, The Visitand A Change in the Lighting,plus a new selection of her brilliantstories, will be published in May.3
THE TRAPEZE ACTLIBBY ANGELLISA GUZZARDIMy middle name, Maartje, comes from Flying Maartje May,the first woman in the world to complete a triple somersaultto catch on the flying trapeze, a woman of such recklessgrace and beauty that, during an 1851 tour of the goldfields,men emerged from the mines to shower her in gold dust.Libby Angel is an Australian poet whosework has appeared in several journals.The Trapeze Act is her first novel.RRP A 29.99FICTION PB ISBN 9781925355925, 256ppEBOOK ISBN 9781925410280RIGHTS HELD World4 TEXT PUBLISHING JANUARY 2017LORETTA’S mother is a trapeze artist in Europe, the starof the famed Rodzirkus Circus, before she walks out onher drunken husband and his debts. But a life in 1960ssuburban Adelaide is always going to be difficult, even ifshe does land herself one of the most successful criminalbarristers in the town.Loretta’s father, Gilbert Lord, has no interest in his past,but hidden above his wardrobe are the journals of his ivorymerchant great-great-grandfather, who led an expeditionto Australia’s desert interior to hunt elephants.For Loretta, growing up in her mother’s shadow, lifeis stifling and at times brutal. But the harder she tries toseparate herself from her mother, the more she longs forher attention and love—and the more she finds that thepast is inextricably a part of who she is.The Trapeze Act is a heartbreaking tale of the searchfor acceptance and a celebration of the magic of life.
SOMETHING FOR THE PAINGERALD MURNANEWinner, 2016 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awardfor Non-fiction‘If you read nothing else this summer, read Something forthe Pain.’ Saturday PaperIAN HILL‘One of the outstanding memoirs of this or any other year.’ Wexford EchoGerald Murnane was born in 1939in Melbourne, and spent part of hischildhood in country Victoria. His debutnovel, Tamarisk Row (1974), wasfollowed by nine other works of fiction,including The Plains (1982) and A MillionWindows (2014). Murnane has won thePatrick White Award, the Melbourne Prizefor Literature and the Adelaide FestivalAward for Innovation. He lives in Victoria.‘Mesmerising prose, vivid image-making and deadpanhumour.’ F inancial Times‘An absolute gem A brilliant book.’ J onathan Green,Radio National Books and Arts‘Fascinating Totally intriguing, utterly hilarious.’ Gideon Haigh, Offsiders‘This is Murnane, the stylist, at his best.’ Les Carlyon,Australian‘A treat—a rare glimpse into the mythology of a grand sport.’ Gerard WhateleyRRP A 23.99NON-FICTION PB ISBN 9781925355437, 272ppEBOOK ISBN 9781922253187RIGHTS HELD WorldRIGHTS SOLD Spain—Miniscula‘Hilarious, moving, and profound.’ Andy Griffiths‘[Something for the Pain] speaks of triumphs and tragedies,of the infinite shades of friendship and romance.’ Paul Griffiths, Times Literary SupplementTEXT PUBLISHING JANUARY 2017 5
OUR TINY, USELESS HEARTSTONI JORDANJAMES PENLIDISHENRY and Caroline are splitting up over Martha soJanice and Alec are looking after Mercedes and Parisfor the weekend when Craig drops by to see Carolineand Lesley comes over to check up on Craig After that, it starts to get complicated.Toni Jordan’s Nine Days won the IndieAward for fiction in 2013 and, in theUS, was named as one of Kirkus’ besthistorical novels of 2013. She is theauthor of the international bestsellerAddition (2008) and of Fall Girl (2010).Toni lives in dan@tonileejordanaRRP A 22.99FICTION PB ISBN 9781925498097, 288ppEBOOK ISBN 9781922253910RIGHTS HELD WorldRIGHTS SOLD Italy—Marsilio; UK & Comm (exclANZ & Canada)—Allen & Unwin UK6 TEXT PUBLISHING JANUARY 2017‘A classic bedroom farce with snappy dialogue and egocentricyet endearing characters that career from one complication toanother.’ A ustralian Book Review‘A hilarious and romantic treat.’ Who Weeky‘Laugh-out-loud funny, yet with real emotion at its core, thisis a sexy-smart rom-com about love and marriage I loved it.’ Australian Women’s Weekly‘Crisp and clever a love story that feels fresh and sexy.’ Saturday Paper‘A concoction of robust jokes, observations both profound andpat and a very nice visual humour, Our Tiny, Useless Heartsrips along.’ Age‘In between the hilarious coupling shenanigans the novelis a clever suburban satire and a sly nod to Tolstoy’s AnnaKarenina.’ Canberra Times‘A delicious satire.’ Otago Daily Times‘Cutting and clever, and yet so very romantic, as though P. G.Wodehouse had satirised life in the suburbs.’ L iane Moriarty
ONE LEG OVERHAVING FUN—MOSTLY—IN PEACE AND WARROBIN DALTONNATALIE MARTINEZDuring the five months’ duration (weekends only) of mymarriage I did not even learn what an orgasm was. Neitherdid I learn this from the American servicemen with whomI exultingly tripped through the first years of our Pacific War.It took the British Navy, our second wave of wartime visitingservicemen, to teach me this.Robin Dalton was born in Sydney in1920. In 1946 she moved to London,where she now lives. Her first book,a memoir of her childhood, AuntsUp the Cross, is now a Text Classic,and an illustrated book from herchildhood, My Relations, is alsoavailable from Text.‘One perfect book true art filedunder entertainment.’ C live Jameson Aunts Up the CrossRRP A 29.99NON-FICTION PB ISBN 9781925355949, 208ppEBOOK ISBN 9781925410303RIGHTS HELD WorldAT the age of ninety-five, Robin Dalton looks back on herlife, particularly on her love life.Married at nineteen, disastrously, Robin has a luckyescape—her ‘Society Divorce’ makes the front page ofSydney newspapers, bumping the war to page three.Then there are the American and British servicemen inSydney—the dancing, the many trysts and a number ofnot-too-serious engagements—before Robin travels toEngland ostensibly to marry one of those fiancés.While most of Europe struggles with post-war austerity,Robin’s days and nights are filled with extravagant dinners,parties with royalty and romantic getaways, until shemeets the man who will become, for a brief few years beforehis early death, her second husband.One Leg Over is a story of love and romance, of fun andglamour, and of loss and great sadness. But above all it’s acelebration of a wonderful life.TEXT PUBLISHING FEBRUARY 2017 7
THE CASE AGAINST FRAGRANCEDARREN JAMESKATE GRENVILLEKate Grenville is one of Australia’s mostcelebrated authors. The Secret River wonthe Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and TheIdea of Perfection won the Orange Prize.Grenville’s other novels include SarahThornhill and The Lieutenant. Her mostrecent book is the acclaimed One Life:My Mother’s Story.kategrenville.comKATE Grenville had always associated perfume withelegance and beauty. Then the headaches started. On abook tour, dogged by ill health, she started wondering:what’s in fragrance? What does it do to people?The more Grenville investigated, the more she feltthis was a story that should be told. Fragrance isn’tmade of flowers now, but synthetic chemicals. Some ofthem can be linked not just to headaches, but to asthmaand allergies, hormone disruption and cancer. Thesechemicals are released onto the market without testing.Their use is regulated by the same people who makethem. And they don’t have to be listed on labels. Ourworld is awash with scented products containing thesepotentially damaging ingredients.Based on careful research into the science of scent,yet accessible and personal, The Case Against Fragrancewill make you see—and smell—the world differently.PRAISE for Kate Grenville:RRP A 24.99NON-FICTION PB ISBN 9781925355956, 208ppEBOOK ISBN 9781925410310RIGHTS HELD World8 TEXT PUBLISHING FEBRUARY 2017‘[A] gift of a writer.’ A ge‘A rare treat to read.’ The Times‘Grenville’s extraordinary trilogy is a major achievementin Australian literature.’ Australian Book Review
‘One spritz of aftershave or perfume canleave other people retching and clutchingtheir heads—you never see that in the ads.’KAZ COOKEWhen I was little, my motherhad a tiny, precious bottleof perfume on her dressing tableand on special occasions she’d puta dab behind her ears. The smellwas always linked in my mindwith excitement and pleasure—Mum with her hair done, wearingher best dress and her pearls, offfor a night out with Dad
GRIFFITH REVIEW 55STATE OF HOPEEDITED BY JULIANNE SCHULTZ AND PATRICK ALLINGTONJulianne Schultz AM FAHA is the foundingeditor of Griffith Review, the awardwinning literary and public affairsquarterly journal.Patrick Allington is a lecturer in Englishand Creative Writing at FlindersUniversity. He is a widely publishedessayist, critic and fiction ew@GriffithREVIEWRRP A 27.99QUARTERLY PB ISBN 9781925498295, 264ppEBOOK ISBN 978192221236810 TEXT PUBLISHING FEBRUARY 2017HOPE is at the heart of South Australia. More than anyother state, it has shaped its own destiny with largedoses of vision and optimism. It is a state that doesn’tshy from challenging prevailing sentiments, and it isunafraid to experiment. As a result, South Australia hasproduced a disproportionately high number of leaders inbusiness, science, arts and public policy.We need this spirit more than ever. Griffith Review55: State of Hope explores the economic, social,environmental and cultural challenges facing SouthAustralia, and the possibilities of renewal that drawon the strength of the past.It features leading South Australian writers andothers with a connection to this unique place, with thedistinctive Griffith Review mix of essays, reportage,memoir, fiction and poetry.Griffith Review 55: State of Hope includes work fromRobyn Archer, Anna Goldsworthy, Kerryn Goldsworthy,Peter Sutton, Eva Hornung, Nicholas Jose, Chris Wallace,Peter Stanley, Dave Graney and more.‘[A] rich and enlightening and often surprising collection.’ Peter Pierce, Australian
WINTER TRAFFICSTEPHEN GREENALLStephen Greenall was born in Moree,New South Wales, in 1976. His writinghas appeared in Overland and he wonthe 2014 NSW Writers Centre VarunaFellowship. Winter Traffic is his firstnovel and was commended in the 2014Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for anUnpublished Manuscript.stephengreenall.com‘An extraordinary and uniquevoice a miracle of imagination.’ Charles WaterstreetRRP A 29.99FICTION PB ISBN 9781925355628, 416ppEBOOK ISBN 9781925410051RIGHTS HELD WorldRIGHTS SOLD Germany—SuhrkampWhen it was over, Shark lay dead and Bison was convulsingon the carpet like something beached or epileptic. Suttonwas upright but breathing like sex, letting adrenaline drainas he had long ago been taught. Bison died and Sutton’sbreathing went back to normal.Whit he ignored. He left the lounge and rifled fastthrough the house, searching for the place where Kristywas stashed. She was high in a room set aside forspecial guests / Sutton knew in an instant she wasgagged too tight.SUTTON doesn’t like the three a.m. phone calls. He shouldchange his number—that way Rawson wouldn’t have it.Sutton’s best mate is a hero cop, but strife flows throughhim like a highway.He was supposed to die young. Maybe Millar will do itfor him: she’s the hot young detective from Internal whostill thinks intellect and integrity will take her places. If shedoesn’t watch her step, she might find out what they are A story about good dogs living in a bad-news town,Winter Traffic is an epic novel of corruption, murder andthe true nature of justice, from a compelling new voice inliterary crime.TEXT PUBLISHING FEBRUARY 2017 11
FEARDIRK KURBJUWEITMAURICE WEISS / OSTKREUZ / DER SPIEGELTRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN BY IMOGEN TAYLORDirk Kurbjuweit is deputy editor-in-chiefat Der Spiegel and the author of eightcritically acclaimed novels. Fear is the firstof his works to be translated into English.Imogen Taylor is a literary translatorbased in Berlin. Her translations includeSascha Arango’s The Truth and OtherLies and Melanie Raabe’s The Trap.facebook.com/dirk.kurbjuweitRRP A 29.99FICTION PB ISBN 9781925498196, 288ppEBOOK ISBN 9781925410518RIGHTS HELD World excl. Germany & HungaryRIGHTS SOLD Canada—House of Anansi Press;France—Delcourt Littérature; Israel—Kinneret;Italy—Bollati; Netherlands—Ambo Anthos;Poland—Sonia Draga; Spain—Salamandra;Taiwan—Emily Publishing; UK & Comm (exclANZ & Canada)—Orion; USA—HarperCollinsOTHER RIGHTS Rowohlt Verlag12 TEXT PUBLISHING FEBRUARY 2017RANDOLPH insists he had a normal childhood, though hisfather kept thirty loaded guns in the house. Now he hasan attractive, intelligent wife and two children, enjoysmodest success as an architect and has just moved intoa beautiful flat in a respectable part of Berlin. Life seemsperfect—until his wife, Rebecca, meets the man livingin the basement below.Their downstairs neighbour is friendly at first, butsoon he starts to frighten them—and when Randolphfails to act, the situation quickly spins out of control.‘Fear shifts our moral codes. It makes us sympathetic to violentrevenge, accessories to murder. Do we want the victim tosurvive? No, we don’t. Long after I had put this book downI still didn’t. A great achievement.’ Herman Koch‘Dirk Kurbjuweit exposes the evil lurking just below the surfaceof civilised life.’ Stern‘High-voltage and multi-layered.’ Frankfurter Neue Presse‘Fear forces us to see just how delicate our thin veneer ofcivilisation really is that any one of us can become amurderer.’ D er Tagesspiegel
‘ I H A D A LW AY S believed my fathercapable of a massacre. Whenever I heardon the news that there had been a killingspree, I would hold my breath, unable torelax until it was clear that it couldn’t havebeen him. That’s paranoid, I know, but it’sinevitable if you grew up the way I did.’
THE TRAPMELANIE RAABETRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN BY IMOGEN TAYLORCHRISTIAN FAUSTASMy eyes are fixed on the television. I can’t look away—I can’t. My eyes are wide open and I’m staring at it,staring at the monster from my dreams, and I’m tryingto wake up, trying to die and then wake up, the wayI always do when I see the monster up close in a dream.But I’m already awake.Melanie Raabe began her working life asa journalist but secrectly wrote books bynight. The Trap, her debut novel, is aninternational bestseller. Text will publishher next book, The Stranger, in 2017.Imogen Taylor is a literary translator basedin Berlin. Her translations include SaschaArango’s The Truth and Other Lies and DirkKurbjuweit’s @melraabeRRP A 22.99FICTION PB ISBN 9781925498103, 288ppEBOOK ISBN 9781922253507RIGHTS HELD World EnglishRIGHTS SOLD Canada—House of Anansi Press;UK & Comm (excl ANZ & Canada)—Pan Macmillan;USA—Grand Central PublishingOTHER RIGHTS Verlagsgruppe Random House GmbH14 TEXT PUBLISHING FEBRUARY 2017TWELVE years ago, Linda’s sister Anna was murdered.Her killer was never caught, but Linda saw his face. Now,all these years on, she’s just seen him again. On TV.He’s become a well-known reporter, and Linda—a famous novelist and infamous recluse—knows no onewill believe her if she accuses him.But she has a plan: she writes a thriller about awoman who is murdered, her killer never caught.When the book is published, she agrees to give justone interview.At home.To the one person who knows more about the casethan she does.‘The tables turn and turn again, while the reader’s trust in thenarrator’s credibility is tested to the max.’ Sydney Morning Herald‘The fear is palpable You’ll be engrossed every step of the way.’ Better Reading
THE LIFE OF ELVESMURIEL BARBERYTRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH BY ALISON ANDERSONALL RIGHTS RESERVEDIn the little girl’s wake we see men and women aspiringto build footbridges from nature and dreams.Muriel Barbery was born in Morocco in1969. She is the author of two previousnovels, Gourmet Rhapsody and TheElegance of the Hedgehog, which soldover six million copies worldwide. Shelives in France and is working on thesequel to The Life of Elves.Alison Anderson’s many translationsinclude novels by Nobel Prize–winnerJ-M.G. Le Clézio, Anna Gavalda, andMuriel Barbery’s earlier novels.RRP A 22.99FICTION PB ISBN 9781925498288, 272ppEBOOK ISBN 9781922253460RIGHTS HELD ANZOTHER RIGHTS Éditions GallimardA moving and deeply felt homage to the power of natureand art by one of the world’s most beloved authors.Do the grace and gifts of two young girls—one inFrance, one in Italy—have the power to change theworld? The Life of the Elves is the story of Maria andClara, whose extraordinary talents will bring them intocontact with magical worlds and malevolent forces.Their meeting may shape the course of history.After her international bestseller, The Elegance ofthe Hedgehog, Muriel Barbery returns with a luminousnovel about the quest for enchantment. With its cast ofunforgettable characters, The Life of the Elves invokesthe power of love and the role of intuition in our lives.‘Barbery explores the mystical connections between nature, artand the human heart with vividness and clarity.’ N ew York Times‘For those who enjoyed Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s The Shadow of theWind or Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief.’ N ew Zealand Herald‘A homage to the power of story A tour de force with manyinspired and delightful touches irresistible.’ A ustralianTEXT PUBLISHING FEBRUARY 2017 15
AN UNCERTAIN GRACEKRISSY KNEENANTHONY MULLINSIt is me of course, this man. In the other world I see himsmiling at me in the mirror, see him in photographs.Me. Of course it is me.And I am her. I am Liv. And this is my room and it ishis room and he, I, put my hand up my, her, skirt.Krissy Kneen is a Brisbane writer. Sheis the author of three previous works offiction, a memoir and a volume of poetry.furiousvaginas.com@krissykneen‘Kneen’s dark imagination remindsthe reader, with a genuine shock ofrecognition, of what sex can be likeat its most extreme: ravenous,dangerous, chaotic and transformative.’ Sydney Morning HeraldRRP A 29.99FICTION PB ISBN 9781925355987, 256ppEBOOK ISBN 9781925410358RIGHTS HELD World16 TEXT PUBLISHING MARCH 2017LIV, an artist working in new technology, designs a giftfor her former lover: a virtual reality suit in which he willrelive their sexual relationship—but from inside her skin.It is the beginning of a career that will stretch over ahundred years into our future, exploring innovation thatcould help to express—even change—human sexuality.But what does it mean for her own ageing body asshe moves simultaneously towards the death of her fleshand the birth of her first true romantic love?At a time when technology may soon be able to helpus escape our own deaths, An Uncertain Grace exploresthe most important questions facing humanity today.What are we? And what do we want to become?Lyrical and compelling, this novel reveals one ofAustralia’s most inventive and provocative writersat the peak of her craft.
PEAKREINVENTING MIDDLE AGELESLEY EDGARJAMES BRAUNDPATRICIA AND DON EDGARPatricia Edgar is a sociologist, educator,film and television producer, writer,researcher and policy analyst. Througha career spanning four decades she hasbeen at the forefront of media for childrennationally and internationally, winningmultiple awards for her achievementsand programs.Don Edgar is one of Australia’s bestknown authorities on social trends asthey affect families, communities andthe workplace. He was the FoundationDirector of the Australian Institute ofFamily Studies.patriciaedgaranddonedgar.comRRP A 32.99NON-FICTION PB ISBN 9781925355963, 304ppEBOOK ISBN 9781925410334RIGHTS HELD WorldOur middle age years are our peak years, not a declinetowards a wretched old age.Over the last century medical science has given usan extra twenty-five years of life and it is predicted ourlongevity will continue to steadily increase. This is causefor celebration, but the implications of this demographicshift are profound and one of the biggest challenges weface this century.SOCIETY is changing faster than policies and attitudes.People are living longer, retiring from work later, andremaining active and valuable contributors to thecommunity well into and beyond their 50s and 60s.Peak: Reinventing Middle Age focuses on Australiansin the 50–75 age bracket: their contributions to societyand their needs and expectations for their own lives. It isan insightful look at employment, relationships, education,housing, finances, lifestyles, health and ageing and theneed for reinvention both on a personal level and in termsof social policy. It includes case studies of Australians whohave embraced their middle age in a variety of interestingand inspirational ways.‘If Edgar’s rational arguments don’t convince you, her humanstories will.’ Hugh Mackay on In Praise of AgeingTEXT PUBLISHING MARCH 2017 17
THE WORLD MADE STRAIGHTRON RASHMARK HASKETTHe rubbed a pot leaf between his finger and thumb, andit felt like money, a lot more money than he’d ever makeat a grocery store. He looked around one more time beforetaking out his pocketknife and cutting down five plants.The stalks had a twiney toughness like rope.Ron Rash is an award-winning poet,short-story writer and novelist. His novelsinclude One Foot in Eden, The Cove, Abovethe Waterfall and the New York Timesbestseller Serena. He is also the author ofseveral short-story collections, includingNothing Gold Can Stay, Chemistry andOther Stories and Burning Bright, winnerof the 2010 Frank O’Connor InternationalShort Story Award. He lives in theAppalachian Mountains, South Carolina.RRP A 22.99FICTION PB ISBN 9781922182999, 304ppEBOOK ISBN 9781925095845RIGHTS HELD ANZOTHER RIGHTS David Higham Associates18 TEXT PUBLISHING MARCH 2017SUMMER in Madison County. Seventeen-year-old TravisShelton cannot see a way out of his small town—untilhe discovers a grove of marijuana in the woods thatcould make him some serious money.But Travis has stumbled across more than drugs.His discovery is the first unwitting step in a journey backto the savage violence and betrayal festering in thecommunity’s past, and to the corruption in its present.Vivid and unsettling, The World Made Straight is apowerful exploration of the secrets that bind us togetherand drive us apart.‘One of the great American authors at work today.’ New York Times‘Exhilarating The World Made Straight reminds us of thesort of compelling literature a brave artist can fashion fromthe shards of experience.’ Los Angeles Times
BRIGHT AIR BLACKDAVID VANNMATHEIU BOURGOIS AGENCYSlaying her brother, destroying her father. These are actsof a god, acts that inspire fear and form myth. Gods dowhat cannot be done. And a woman can become a godeasily because she is not allowed anything. She canbecome a thing of fear.David Vann is an internationallybestselling author published in twentyone languages. He is the winner of fifteenprizes and his books have appearedon seventy Best Books lists in a dozencountries. He is a professor at theUniversity of Warwick in England andlives in New Zealand half of the year.davidvann.comRRP A 29.99FICTION PB ISBN 9781925355208, 272ppEBOOK ISBN 9781922253781RIGHTS HELD ANZOTHER RIGHTS Rogers, Coleridge & White inassociation with InkWell ManagementIT is 13th century B.C. and aboard the ship Argo, Medea,Jason and the Argonauts make their return journey acrossthe Black Sea from Persia’s Colchis, in possession of theGolden Fleece.David Vann, in brilliant poetic prose, gives us anuanced and electric portrait of one of Greek mythology’smost fascinating and notorious figures, Medea; anancient tale reimagined through the eyes of the womanoften cast as sorceress and monster.Atmospheric and spellbinding, Bright Air Black is anindispensable and provocative take on one of our earliesttexts and the most intimate and corporal version ofMedea’s story ever told.‘A writer to read and reread.’ Economist‘David Vann has been one of the most thrilling discoveries ofthe past decade or so.’ Stephen RomeiTEXT PUBLISHING MARCH 2017 19
THE RESTORERMICHAEL SALA‘H E R B R OT H E R ’ S FAC E was slack, theway it went when something caught hisattention, the tip of his tongue restingagainst his upper lip. He leaned forwardand peered down through the hole inthe floor. He looked as if he might toppleinto it with the slightest push.’After a year apart, Maryanne returns toher husband, Roy, bringing their eightyear-old son Daniel and his teenagesister Freya with her. The family movesfrom Sydney to Newcastle, where Roy hasbought a derelict house on the coast.As Roy painstakingly patches theholes in the floorboards and plasters overcracks in the walls, Maryanne believes,for a while, that they can rebuild a lifetogether.But Freya doesn’t want a fresh start—she just wants out—and Daniel driftsaround the sprawling, run-down housein a dream, infuriating his father, whosoon forgets the promises he has made.Some cracks can never be smoothedover, and tension grows between20 TEXT PUBLISHING MARCH 2017Roy and Maryanne until their uneasypeace is ruptured—with devastatingconsequences.‘Builds and breaks like a summerstorm—just as beautiful, just as brutal.’FIONA McFARL ANE‘Beautifully written and closely observed,with the visceral force of truth, MichaelSala’s heartbreaking novel captures thetender hope of love and its terrible cost.’K ATHRYN HEYMAN‘I would defy anyone to read this storyand remain unmoved. The Restorer is anincredibly powerful novel and, I believe,an important one.’ HANNAH KENT‘Michael Sala is a sensitive, perceptiveobserver of human relationships and Ihave long admired his work. The Restoreris a beautifully written novel aboutgrowing up, starting again—and how theriptide of personal history can pull usfurther and further from safety, no matterhow hard we fight.’ CHARLOT TE WOODRRP A 29.99EBOOK ISBN 9781922253606FICTION PB ISBN 9781925355024, 352pp RIGHTS HELD World
THE LAST THREADMICHAEL SALAKIMIKO YOSHINAGA‘ W E’ R E G O I N G B AC K ,’ Mum says one day.‘Where?’‘Where do you think? To Australia. That’sreally our home. We just needed to come backand live here for a while to realise that.’ It is as ifMum is finishing a conversation that she startedin her head.Michael Sala was born in theNetherlands to a Greek fatherand a Dutch mother, and firstcame to Australia in the 1980s.He lives in Newcastle on theNew South Wales north coastand lectures in creative writingat the University of Newcastle.@sala michaelWINNER of the New SouthWales Premier's Award forNew Writing and REGION A LWINNER of the CommonwealthBook Prize in 2013RRP A 22.99FICTION PB ISBN 9781925498516, 240ppEBOOK ISBN 9781925410754RIGHTS HELD WorldMichaelis is four when they first move toAustralia, leaving behind the cold and the snowand the mud, the flat grey landscape, his father,his mother’s family, and everything he hasever known.He is seven when they pack up again and gohome, nine when they return to Australia. Whenyou are used to it, leaving is the easiest thing inthe world—and where the sea is warm and thedays linger, it is easier to forget.But his stepfather is a bully, and the absenceof his real father masks a painful tru
ebooks & distribution 68 rights THE TEXT PUBLISHING COMPANYJANUARY-JUNE 2017 Swann House, Level 10, 22 William Street Melbourne Victoria 3000 Australia p: 613 8610 4500 f: 613 9629 8621 textpublishing.com.au General books@textpublishing.com.au Publicityane.finemore@textpublishing.com.au j Sales kirsty.wilson@textpublishing.com.au
