Seeking the Centre: The Australian Desert in Literature, Art and Film [Hardcover]

Roslynn D. Haynes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 13, 1999

This is a book about the Australian desert and its central impact on Australian culture, from traditional Aboriginal art to Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Starting with the Aboriginal understanding of the spiritual significance of the desert, it traces the attempts of the early colonists to conquer this alien space; the changing estimate of the inland explorers in fiction and art as heroes, failures, or psychological studies of obsession; the rediscovery of the desert in the twentieth century by travelers, artists, novelists, photographers and film makers; its interest for ecotourism and as a spiritual experience.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This brilliant book studies the Australian desert in that country's culture, past and present, from an extraordinarily comprehensive viewpoint that covers geology, ecology and history, as well as literature, film and painting (Aboriginal as well as European)....This work marks a change in Australian perspective, an illustrious achievement in the century that is closing. Most highly recommended for all collections at all levels." Choice

"Haynes, an Associate Professor in English at the University of New South Wales, demonstrates a dexterity and intellectual athleticism in Seeking the Centre that is sometimes lacking in other commentaries of the Australian postcolonial situation...Hayne's wide, yet incredibly specific, range of research and analyses provide more than ample evidence that the Australian desert as cultural symbol is stronger than it ever was." Yearbook of COmparative and General Literature

Book Description

The desert has a hypnotic presence in Australian culture, simultaneously alluring and repellent. The 'Centre' is distant and unknown to most Australians, yet has become a symbol of the country. This exciting book, highly illustrated in full colour, reveals the singular impact that the desert, both geographical and metaphorical, has had on Australian culture. At the heart of the book is the profound relationship that Aboriginal Australians have with the desert, and the complex ways in which they have been seen by white people in this context.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 364 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (January 13, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521571111
• ISBN-13: 978-0521571111
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,283,234 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Insight into the Red Center, July 4, 2003

By 

choiceweb0pen0 (Lafayette, LA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Seeking the Centre: The Australian Desert in Literature, Art and Film (Hardcover)

Haynes has put a great deal of effort, energy, and insight into an incredible exhaustive exploration of what the Australian Desert means to Australians and how this attitude came about . Especially interesting to me are the sections on Australian Explorers and how their hardships, especially failures, have been transformed into myths. As an American who spent a semester in Australia, taking an Australian Studies course, I found this book supported what I had learned, while futhering my interests. Haynes provides numerous books, films, poems, and works of art in detailed discussions about many big name Australian creatives such as Nolan and White. I would recommend this book to anyone that wants to know more about Australian Culture.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, April 1, 2010

By 

J. P. Graham "Jason" (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Seeking the Centre: The Australian Desert in Literature, Art and Film (Hardcover)

I agree with the other reviewer who gave this book 5 stars.

Professor Roslynn Haynes' other books are also recommended.

Explorers of the Southern Sky: A History of Australian Astronomy
(Cambridge University Press, 1996) (co-authored with Raymond Haynes, David Malin and Richard McGee)

From Faust to Strangelove: Representations of the Scientist in Western Literature
(Johns Hopkins University Press, 1994)

All the best