Doris Pilkington (1937–2014)
Autor(a) de Rabbit-Proof Fence
About the Author
Obras por Doris Pilkington
Associated Works
Those Who Remain Will Always Remember: An Anthology of Aboriginal Writing (2000) — Contribuidor — 9 exemplares
Etiquetado
Conhecimento Comum
- Outros nomes
- Garimara, Nugi (birth name)
Pilkington Garimara, Doris - Data de nascimento
- 1937-07-01
- Data de falecimento
- 2014-04-10
- Sexo
- female
- Nacionalidade
- Australia
- Local de nascimento
- Australia
- Local de falecimento
- Perth, Western Australia, Australia
- Ocupações
- nurse
writer - Prémios e menções honrosas
- AM (2006)
Red Ochre Award (2008)
Membros
Críticas
Listas
Black Authors (1)
Prémios
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Associated Authors
Estatísticas
- Obras
- 10
- Also by
- 2
- Membros
- 949
- Popularidade
- #27,107
- Avaliação
- 3.5
- Críticas
- 33
- ISBN
- 53
- Línguas
- 6
The physical appearance is wonderful...seeing all 10 of the first issues (of which this is one) is mesmerising.
Rabbit Proof Fence is a story (though factual, not a novel) that is relatively well known, in my opinion, even if the detail is not. It gained a little more prominence following the publication of Sally Morgan's "My Place" and yet again after the release of the movie in 2002 of "Rabbit Proof Fence" (which I have not seen yet, though I have listened and love the soundtrack by Peter Gabriel). I am sure there are other works which have brought the story to the forefront, both before and after these mentioned.
It is said to be one of (if not the) first articulation (in the form of a book or extended portrayal) of the impact of the then policy of the WA Govt (we are talking of the 1930s) of (without consent, either of the children or their parents, nor of any actual evidence as to the children in question of them being in any actual or threatened harm or disadvantage) removing children from mixed (First Nations Peoples and others) from their families and sending them to facilities, where they are trained to be servants (of various descriptions) in a (my words) more Western society.
The book follows the tribulations of three girls, including the author, as they grow up in their community, before being removed from there and transported far away to such an institution, only to leave there to walk back home.
They do this notwithstanding they have no food or other supplies, the vast distance involved (said to be in the vicinity of 2400km), they being tracked by First Nations' trackers, that they were travelling across desert for much of the time and that when they came across remote farming/stock stations (where they asked for food/water) they were often thereafter reported by the station owners to those searching for the girls (aged 8-14).
They were successful in returning to their homes.
It is an extraordinary tale. And I have read some reviewers criticising the literary merit of the book. But I disagree, not because I think it is of high literary merit (and I mean no disrespect in saying so), but because it conveys an important part of our history. If one reds the journals of our European explorers, they often (if not always) read particularly well, even if they nevertheless convey relevant, if not important information, or at least context.
I would encourage those even mildly interested to give this a go, as I will with other issues in this series.
Big Ship
1 August 2023… (mais)