The Pages
Published on 6. August 2009
Book
Paperback/Softback
208 pages
978-0-09-952428-1 (ISBN)
Description
What are The Pages?
On a family sheep station in the interior of Australia, a brother and sister work the property while their reclusive brother, Wesley Antill, spends years toiling away in one of the sheds, writing a philosophy.
Now he has died. Erica, a philosopher, is sent from Sydney to appraise his work. Accompanying her is Sophie, who needs a distraction from a string of failed relationships. Her field is psychoanalysis. These two women, each with different views of the world, face a situation they have not experienced before, with surprising results.
On a family sheep station in the interior of Australia, a brother and sister work the property while their reclusive brother, Wesley Antill, spends years toiling away in one of the sheds, writing a philosophy.
Now he has died. Erica, a philosopher, is sent from Sydney to appraise his work. Accompanying her is Sophie, who needs a distraction from a string of failed relationships. Her field is psychoanalysis. These two women, each with different views of the world, face a situation they have not experienced before, with surprising results.
Reviews / Votes
The novel's pleasures... mostly reside in its formal arrangement and Bail's brilliantly distilled, and witty prose * Times Literary Supplement * A curious and intriguing novel... the brilliant skill of the writing makes the world come alive on the page -- Hermione Lee * Guardian * A nicely written, wonderfully entertaining novel... Philosophy is a big, difficult subject - there is none bigger - that Bail depicts thoughtfully and with sympathetic humour * The Daily Telegraph * Quietly fascinating... Bail's prose is as full of space and glaring, almost painful light as the landscape... This book is as hard and sparse as that landscape, but no less beautiful for that -- Jonathan Gibbs * Independent * Bail's highly idiosyncratic style resembles a choppy sea in which phrases and images constantly jostle each other to send up a dazzlingly brilliant spray. In addition, his ability to conjure up a character in a paragraph or even a mere sentence is remarkable -- Francis King * Literary Review * The novel makes no pretence of providing unambiguous answers, but takes us on a beguiling, questing journey -- Nick Rennison * Sunday Times * Murray Bail marshals the tensions between his characters and their ideas to great effect -- Peter Scott * The Telegraph * A gratifyingly dry wit pervades this novel of ideas -- Chris Ross * The Guardian *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Vintage Publishing
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 199 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
147 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-09-952428-1 (9780099524281)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Murray Bail was born in Adelaide in 1941. He is the author of four novels and two collections of short stories. Harvill Secker published his Notebooks in 2005. His novel Eucalyptus was awarded the 1999 Commonwealth Writers' Prize and the Miles Franklin Literary Award.