The Drover’s Wives

101 reinterpretations of a classic Australian short story

‘A work of virtuosic flippancy tempered by considerable intellect’ TLS

SHORTLISTED: Queensland Literary Awards

SHORTLISTED: Russell Prize for Humour Writing

Henry Lawson’s short story The Drover’s Wife is an Australian classic that has sparked interpretations on the page, on canvas and on the stage. But it has never been so thoroughly, or hilariously, re-imagined as by Ryan O’Neill, remixing and revising Lawson’s masterpiece in 101 different ways.

The variations include a pop song, a sporting commentary, a 1980s computer game, an insurance claim, a Hollywood movie adaptation, a cryptic crossword and even a selection of paint swatches printed on the back cover.

Inventive and unexpected, this is laugh-out-loud literature from the author of the award-winning Their Brilliant Careers.

‘A work of virtuosic flippancy tempered by considerable intellect – great fun from start to finish’ TLS

‘The book is imaginative, clever, experimental, adroit, self-reflexive and very funny. As you turn the pages, you wonder just what O'Neill will come up with next’ Sydney Morning Herald

‘Pitch perfect… hilarious… Fellow writers in particular will enjoy O’Neill’s gift for literary karaoke… This is a book that begs to be read aloud. The reinterpretations are short, between one and three pages, and every one is entertaining. O’Neill is so adept at literary ventriloquism and at mastering multiple genres and forms’ The Australian

‘Inventive and ridiculously funny, this is a book about the multifarious ways in which a story can be told’ NB Magazine

‘Captivating, coruscating, brilliantly honed satire... With this new work, O’Neill brings something new and thoroughly engaging into the Australian literary scene. Read it slowly, bit by bit, because satire gobbled too fast can overwhelm the reader or dull the senses. But read it, and odds are you will, by turns, laugh and weep’ Australian Book Review

Paperback

Published: Lightning (August 2019)

ISBN: 9781785630910