The Boys Who Stole the Funeral

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The Boys Who Stole the Funeral (1980) is a verse novel by Australian writer Les Murray. It was originally published by Angus and Robertson in Australia in 1980.^[1]

The novel consists of a sequence of 140 sonnets, many of which had been previously published in newspapers, literary journals and poetry anthologies.^[2]

Synopsis

The novel tells the story of how two young men steal the body of an old friend from a city undertaker in order to give their friend the rural burial he so desired.

Publishing history

After its initial publication in Australia by Angus and Robertson in 1980,^[3] the novel was reprinted by Angus and Robertson in 1982 and then published as follows:

• Carcanet, UK, 1989^[4]
• Farrar Straus and Giroux, US, 1991^[1]
• Minerva, Australia, 1993^[2]

A sound recording of the novel was created in 1985 by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.^[5]

Critical reception

The Judges' Report for the National Book Council Award noted: "Here we have an original and daring work — a novel sequence in poetry — poetry indeed and not verse, and poetry which seeks to articulate a mythology about rural Australia. The lines are chiselled with care, the book sculptured with grace; narrative and dialogue fuse into a poetic whole, the poetic sensibility informs all: the darting phrase, the naked insight."^[6]

Awards

• Grace Leven Prize for Poetry winner 1980^[1]

See also

• 1980 in Australian literature

References