The Poison Of Polygamy

Author: Wong Shee Ping; Ely Finch (Translator); Mei-fen Kuo (Introduction by); Michael Williams (Introduction by)

Stock information

General Fields

  • : $35.00 AUD
  • : 9781743326022
  • : Sydney University Press
  • : Sydney University Press
  • : June 2019
  • : 35.0
  • :
  • :
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Wong Shee Ping; Ely Finch (Translator); Mei-fen Kuo (Introduction by); Michael Williams (Introduction by)
  • : Paperback
  • :
  • :
  • :
Barcode 9781743326022
9781743326022

Description

Serialised 1909-10, The Poison of Polygamy is a rare gem of Australian literature.


The first novel of the Chinese Australian experience, it is a roller-coaster tale of blackmail, murder, betrayal and even thylacine attack, partly based on real people, places and events. Revealing the human face of migration between imperial China and colonial Australia, it recounts the story of a man from southern China who tries his luck on the Victorian goldfields, the wife he leaves behind, and their eventual fraught reunion.


In this bilingual edition, Australia's and possibly the West's earliest Chinese-language novel is presented in English translation for the first time. Illuminating introductions explore the work's historical, cultural and linguistic context, and establish its unique significance in Australia's literary and social history.