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y separately published work icon Archipelago of Souls single work   novel   war literature  
Issue Details: First known date: 2015... 2015 Archipelago of Souls
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'In the aftermath of the Second World War, an Australian soldier, Wesley Cress, a hero of the underground resistance on German-occupied Crete, seeks solace and comfort on King Island, in the mouth of Bass Strait, in the Roaring Forties latitude of the Southern Ocean.

'Wesley carries in his heart the infernal story of the Battle of Crete, the disappearance of his brother in the ensuing evacuation, and the hellish journey he was forced to take after he was left behind on the ancient island.

'When he meets Leonie Fermoy, the granddaughter of an American whaler with her own nightmares, the private and the public battles of their post-war worlds begin to fuse. Through the agency of John Lascelles - the unassuming postmaster on the island and a crusader for the rights of returned soldiers - Wes and Leonie attempt to negotiate a future in which love can prevail in a morally devastated world.

'Archipelago of Souls is a novel exploring the difficult realities of nationhood, war, morality and love. Compelling and beautifully realised, it is about the creation of identity, the enigmas of memory and the power of the written word to heal the deepest wounds.'

Notes

  • Dedication: for the hidden ones.
  • Epigraph:

    Alone is the swallow and costly the spring

    For the sun to turn it takes a lot of work

    It takes a thousand dead sweating at the wheels

    It takes the living also shedding their blood

    –Odysseus Elytis

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

Works about this Work

Review : Archipelago of Souls Tessa Lunney , 2016 single work review
— Appears in: Southerly , vol. 75 no. 3 2016; (p. 251-255)

— Review of Archipelago of Souls Gregory Day , 2015 single work novel
New Novel Inspired by Crete at War Michael Sweet , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: Neos Kosmos , 17 June 2015;

— Review of Archipelago of Souls Gregory Day , 2015 single work novel
'Few writers of fiction have taken the Battle of Crete as their inspiration, but Gregory Day's latest work looks to be a precious addition to the genre.'
Review : Archipelago of Souls Kerri Harris , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: Good Reading , November 2015; (p. 44)

— Review of Archipelago of Souls Gregory Day , 2015 single work novel
Annette Marfording’s Best Reads of 2015 Annette Marfording , 2015 single work column
— Appears in: Rochford Street Review , October - December no. 16 2015;
Gregory Day : Archipelago of Souls Annette Marfording , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: The Newtown Review of Books , October 2015;

— Review of Archipelago of Souls Gregory Day , 2015 single work novel
Islands in His Dreams Phil Brown , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 27-28 June 2015; (p. 19)

— Review of Archipelago of Souls Gregory Day , 2015 single work novel
Island Hopping from Longing to Loneliness Michael McGirr , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 8-9 August 2015; (p. 29) The Saturday Age , 8-9 August 2015; (p. 29)

— Review of Archipelago of Souls Gregory Day , 2015 single work novel
No Mirage Brian Matthews , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , August no. 373 2015; (p. 25)

— Review of Archipelago of Souls Gregory Day , 2015 single work novel
Well Read Katharine England , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 1 August 2015; (p. 32)

— Review of Archipelago of Souls Gregory Day , 2015 single work novel ; Salt Creek Lucy Treloar , 2015 single work novel
Gregory Day : Archipelago of Souls Annette Marfording , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: The Newtown Review of Books , October 2015;

— Review of Archipelago of Souls Gregory Day , 2015 single work novel
Gregory Day Jane Sullivan (interviewer), 2015 single work interview
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 4-5 July 2015; (p. 24-25) The Age , 4 July 2015; (p. 30)

'Love and redemption underscore the story of how an Australian soldier in World War II united Crete and King Island.'

Annette Marfording’s Best Reads of 2015 Annette Marfording , 2015 single work column
— Appears in: Rochford Street Review , October - December no. 16 2015;
Last amended 6 Nov 2017 13:05:10
Settings:
  • Crete,
    c
    Greece,
    c
    Western Europe, Europe,
  • King Island, Bass Strait Islands, Tasmania,
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