I started to read this weekend the book True Story of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey.I think, I'll finish it today.
But I have some questions.
After cca 220-230 pages (from the 450) I just thought, there isn't any interesting in this book. Neither good nor bad.
But I started to research on the web what other people about this novel say and I've learned that Ned Kelly was a real historical character. He was an icon, a legend in Australia.
So I would like to ask our Australian saloners:
What do you know and what do you think about Ned Kelly? And what does it mean to be an icon in Australia?Are there song and stories about him? Does know everybody about him? What kind of role he plays in your culture?
It may be a bit unusual to ask something like these, but I would like to find out is there anything similarity between the legend of Ned Kelly and the legend of our Hungarian outlaws from the 19. century, like Sandor Rozsa or Joska Sobri.
And maybe I'll a bit more understand the meaning of Carey's book. Which is no more such uniteresting for me.
I'll come back also with other themes later this day.
Happy Reading!
3 megjegyzés:
Ned Kelly was an Australian bushranger/outlaw. Here is a link for you that might clear up some of your questions.
In Australian crime fiction his name has been given to the highest awards given and here is a link to some of the Ned Kelly winners.
Hi,
The Peter Carey book is rubbish and is almost pure fiction.You can get the real story of Ned Kelly here http://www.ironoutlaw.com/ It is the best website on The Kelly Gang.
Thank you, "anonymous" for the information that Carey's book is a fiction. But it was not new for me.
This is not the fist historical fiction I've read with the title "The true story of...". It's a quite tipical "joke" of the postmodern writers.
But OK. Maybe my question wasn't right. I can find on the web the formal information just per some clicks. But I would like to know more about the opinion of the average people. What is important to you telling about this person? What is the first thing you remember of him. You, as a member of the culture in which he plays an important role.
As I see, when someone is a legend, everybody has his/her own story about him. These stories can be sometimes quite different. (Especially, when this icon is an outlaw.) And it can be very interesting to compare this "personal" stories with the formal history or even with the story of a famous writer.
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