Tirra Lirra by the River
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Author | Jessica Anderson |
---|---|
Cover artist | The Presentation by Charles Blackman c1959 |
Country | Australia |
Language | English |
Genre | Novel |
Publisher | Macmillan, Australia |
Publication date | 1978 |
Media type | Paperback |
Pages | 141 |
ISBN | 0-333-25133-4 |
OCLC | 5938300 |
823 | |
LC Class | PZ4.A54736 Ti 1978 PR9619.3.A57 |
Tirra Lirra by the River is a Miles Franklin Award-winning novel by Australian author Jessica Anderson.[1] Though written some years before, it was first published in 1978.[1] It is included in Carmen Callil and Colm Tóibín's collection The Modern Library: The Best 200 Novels in English since 1950 (Picador 1999. ISBN 0-330-34182-0).
Plot synopsis[]
For Nora Porteous, life is a series of escapes. To escape her tightly knit small-town family, she marries, only to find herself confined again, this time in a stifling Sydney suburb with a selfish, sanctimonious husband. With a courage born of desperation and sustained by a spirited sense of humor, Nora travels to London, and it is there that she becomes the woman she wants to be. Or does she?
Quotes: "Finely honed structurally and tightly textured, it's a wry, romantic story that should make Anderson's American reputation and create a demand for her other work." - The Washington Post "There may be a better novel than Tirra Lirra by the River this year, but I doubt it." - Cleveland Plain Dealer "Subtle, rich, and seductive, this beautifully written novels casts a spell of delight upon the reader." Library Journal
Cultural references[]
The book's title is taken from Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem, "The Lady of Shalott". That particular line comes from part 3, stanza 4:
- From the bank and from the river
- He flashed into the crystal mirror,
- 'Tirra lirra,' by the river
- Sang Sir Lancelot.
References[]
Further reading[]
- Bird, Delys. "Review of Tirra Lirra by the River by Jessica Anderson." Westerly 25 (1980): 78–80.
- Haynes, Roslyn. "Art as Reflection in Jessica Anderson's Tirra Lirra by the River". Australian Literary Studies 12 (1986): 316–323.
- Sheridan, Susan. "Tirra Lirra and Beyond: Jessica Anderson's Truthful Fictions." Australian Book Review 324 (2010): 47–49.
External links[]
- 1978 Australian novels
- Miles Franklin Award-winning works
- Novels set in Sydney
- Novels set in London
- Novels by Jessica Anderson
- Novels set in Brisbane
- 1970s novel stubs