The Fatal Shore

Nov 16, 2024 10:33 AM

Author:Robert Hughes

The Fatal Shore

An award-winning epic on the birth of Australia

In 1787, the twenty-eighth year of the reign of King George III, the British Government sent a fleet to colonise Australia.

Documenting the brutal transportation of men, women and children out of Georgian Britain into a horrific penal system which was to be the precursor to the Gulag and was the origin of Australia, The Fatal Shore is the definitive, masterfully written narrative that has given its true history to Australia.

'A unique phantasmagoria of crime and punishment, which combines the shadowy terrors of Goya with the tumescent life of Dickens' Times

Reviews

A unique phantasmagoria of crime and punishment, which combines the shadowy terrors of Goya with the tumescent life of Dickens

—— Peter Ackroyd, The Times

A triumph of research, passion and fine writing. I found it an extraordinary and compelling book to read, one of fantastic scope and imagination; truly a tour de force

—— William Shawcross

Riveting

—— The Book Magazine

With its mood and stature...The Fatal Shore is well on its way to becoming the standard opus on the convict years

—— Sydney Sunday Telegraph

An enthralling account of the convict settlement of Australia, thoroughly researched and excellently written, brimming over with rare and pungent characters, and tales of pathos, bravery, and horror

—— Peter Matthiessen

Popular history in the best sense...its attention to human detail and its commanding prose call to mind the best work of Barbara Tuchman

—— Washington Post

Previous Article：Celestine Next Article：Black Athena

Comments

Welcome to zzdbook comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.