THE FATAL SHORE

by Robert Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 20, 1986

A massive, agglomerative history of the convict deportation system that peopled Australia. The book is a departure in subject matter for Hughes, who, though a native of Sydney, is better known as the longtime art critic for Time and author of The Shock of the New. This history is nonetheless commendable, synthesizing scholarship and primary sources into a comprehensive, readable account. Hughes approaches the subject by aspects rather than strict chronology. Chapters focus on issues: the ocean passage, the Georgian idea of a ""criminal class,"" the women and sexual life of the colonies, those who tried to escape, etc. No gloss is put upon Australia's ignoble founding, and, in fact, the litany of starvation, crime, floggings, sadism and debauchery gives the book a somber mien. Those who would sanitize the history--by pointing out the pettiness of the emigrants' crimes, the British intent to found a strategic outpost, the political criminals, etc.--are disproven with no regret. When Hughes revises overly dark perspectives, it is small improvement. For example, the women convicts were not, as is often supposed, all prostitutes. However, that impression came about mostly because of the brutalized life Australia forced upon them. This grim history is given life by the remarkable characters and anecdotes that Hughes details. Among these is Mary Bryant, ""the Girl From Botany Bay,"" who led an escape attempt with her husband and two children, sailing over 3,000 miles in a small stolen boat, eventually to be recaptured, but finally pardoned. Another method Hughes uses is providing the argot of the era--strange, wonderful words that somehow revivify the old stories. On the other hand, the various cruel details of the convicts' degradation might have been substantially winnowed without any loss in impact or reader compassion. Though the subject is unremittingly grim, this is a fine evocation of a unique chapter in the history of social order and social evolution in a faraway land.

Pub Date: Jan. 20, 1986

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1986

Categories: NONFICTION