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Before people get upset with me for saying this is Australia's greatest novel, let me say that I realise that it won't appeal to everyone, and perhaps especially to a younger generation less steeped in history than we were. However, whenever I am asked what is the finest piece of literature to come out of Australia, I unhesitatingly reply that this is it. It has everything that an Australian could wish for that is representative of that very eccentric land, and much more besides. The name alone should give the alert reader something to think about. Isn't it odd? It is the starting point and central theme around which the whole turns and part of the majesty of this novel lies in that cardinal simplicity. It never gets lost. No matter into what dreamtime corner or shady southern political deal the author takes us, we understand that one central thing. And beyond that, where every truly giant novel must go ("For Whom the Bell Tolls," "Under the Volcano"), there is an underpinning of universal truth that makes us aware that this is no mere provincial affair, that Herbert is not just idly lamenting in some forgotten corner of the globe. The other characteristic that makes it truly incomparable on the Australian scene, is that it can be read at so many levels. Herbert may be taking a hard look at many issues unresolved in the Australia of the forties and fifties, but have we come to terms with them today? And are the political shenanigans that take place in the land of Auz, so very different from those elsewhere? Whether you are interested in Australian history, or in learning something about the aborigines, or seeing the outback in all its glory, this is the book. And as for it being too long, I can almost guarantee that the reader who once gets a head of steam up, will be still be puffing like billy-o at page 1,463. And if you are still ready for more by then, well you're in luck, because Herbert wrote a further volume about life in northern Australia, "Capricornia." It is not a sequel and it is not, in my opinion, of exactly the same calibre, but it is a very fine book nonetheless. "Poor Fellow, My Country" should not be out of print, ever. It is one of those books that will endure, because it goes beyond the run of everyday storytelling into the realm of great literature.Read full review