image of person or book cover 4248611713627402873.png
This image has been sourced from online.
y separately published work icon When Blackbirds Sing single work   novel   war literature  
Is part of The Langton Tetralogy Martin Boyd , 1952-1962 series - author novel
Issue Details: First known date: 1962... 1962 When Blackbirds Sing
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'At the outbreak of World War I, Dominic Langton leaves his wife on a remote sheep farm in New South Wales to enlist in the British Army. What he experiences in the trenches changes him forever; his return home sees him cast off his past and find his own integrity. He has seen the true nature of war–the senseless waste of life, the millions of young men condemned to pointless slaughter–and has emerged a wiser, but troubled, man.

'When Blackbirds Sing is a masterful recreation of the vanished world of 1914, and a moving and powerful testament to the devastation of war. In this final instalment of Martin Boyd's celebrated Langton Quartet, Boyd confirms his reputation as one of the most outstanding novelists Australia has ever produced. ' (Publication summary)

Contents

* Contents derived from the Melbourne, Victoria,:Text Publishing , 2014 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.
Introduction, Chris Wallace-Crabbe , essay

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • London,
      c
      England,
      c
      c
      United Kingdom (UK),
      c
      Western Europe, Europe,
      :
      Abelard-Schuman ,
      1962 .
      image of person or book cover 4248611713627402873.png
      This image has been sourced from online.
    • Melbourne, Victoria,: Lansdowne , 1971 .
      image of person or book cover 2119853572499309058.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 188p.
      ISBN: 0701802243
  • Appears in:
    y separately published work icon The Langton Quartet Martin Boyd , Richmond : Heinemann , 1988 Z186595 1988 selected work novel Richmond : Heinemann , 1988 pg. 517-641
    • Ringwood, Ringwood - Croydon - Kilsyth area, Melbourne - East, Melbourne, Victoria,: Penguin , 1993 .
      image of person or book cover 2743723991186747586.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 188p.
      Note/s:
      • Introduced by Dorothy Green
      ISBN: 0140187634 (pbk.)

Other Formats

  • Also sound recording.

Works about this Work

Martin Boyd, When Blackbirds Sing Shaun Bell , 2016 single work review
— Appears in: Long Paddock , vol. 75 no. 3 2016;

— Review of When Blackbirds Sing Martin Boyd , 1962 single work novel
Lovely Boys, Good Blokes, and Bonzer Bints : Love and Eroticism in British and Australian Great War Narratives Clare Rhoden , 2014 single work criticism
— Appears in: Antipodes , June vol. 28 no. 1 2014; (p. 155-165, 257)
'Rhoden examines love and eroticisam in British and Australian Great War narratives. Interestingly, Australian narratives, with their protagonists even more separated from their women, are also likely to eschew homosexual themes. Although male tenderness exists, it is represented as being of a much lesser degree, at least in its physical manifestation. Male-male friendship–mateships–represented by Australian authors may carry undertones of emotional and physical intensity, but this is usually expressed in curt, economical gestures. The "lovely boys" of British works give way to a bunch of good blokes. Readers need to look more closely for evidence of romance and special individual bonds.' (Publication abstract)
Introduction Chris Wallace-Crabbe , 2014 essay
— Appears in: When Blackbirds Sing 2014;
The Cultural Logic of Martin Boyd's Anti-Puritan Novels Patricia Dobrez , 2007-2008 single work criticism
— Appears in: Zeitschrift fur Australienstudien , no. 21-22 2007-2008; (p. 46-56)
'When Blackbirds Sing': Martin Boyd and the Reality of Good Friday Patricia Dobrez , 1996 single work criticism biography
— Appears in: Kunapipi , [Double Issue] vol. 18 no. 2-3 1996; (p. 68-82)
Martin Boyd : "When Blackbirds Sing" Ray Williams , 1963 single work review
— Appears in: Realist Writer , November no. 13 1963; (p. 27)

— Review of When Blackbirds Sing Martin Boyd , 1962 single work novel
Croak! Croak! Allan Ashbolt , 1963 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , February vol. 2 no. 4 1963; Creme de la Phlegm : Unforgettable Australian Reviews 2006; (p. 111-115)

— Review of When Blackbirds Sing Martin Boyd , 1962 single work novel
Untitled Maurice Dunlevy , 1971 single work review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 27 March 1971; (p. 14)

— Review of A Difficult Young Man Martin Boyd , 1955 single work novel ; Outbreak of Love Martin Boyd , 1957 single work novel ; When Blackbirds Sing Martin Boyd , 1962 single work novel
Untitled E. Martin , 1971 single work review
— Appears in: The Sunday Review , 25 April 1971; (p. 828)

— Review of A Difficult Young Man Martin Boyd , 1955 single work novel ; Outbreak of Love Martin Boyd , 1957 single work novel ; When Blackbirds Sing Martin Boyd , 1962 single work novel
[Review] The Cardboard Crown A. Roberts , 1971 single work review
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 27 March 1971; (p. 20)

— Review of A Difficult Young Man Martin Boyd , 1955 single work novel ; The Cardboard Crown Martin Boyd , 1952 single work novel ; When Blackbirds Sing Martin Boyd , 1962 single work novel
Dubious Cartography Martin Boyd , Louis Kahan (illustrator), 1964 single work criticism biography
— Appears in: Meanjin Quarterly , March vol. 23 no. 1 1964; (p. 4-13) On Native Grounds : Australian Writing from Meanjin Quarterly 1967; (p. 95-104)
The Cultural Logic of Martin Boyd's Anti-Puritan Novels Patricia Dobrez , 2007-2008 single work criticism
— Appears in: Zeitschrift fur Australienstudien , no. 21-22 2007-2008; (p. 46-56)
Martin Boyd and "The Cardboard Crown" Chris Wallace-Crabbe , 1960 single work criticism
— Appears in: The Melbourne Critical Review , no. 3 1960; (p. 23-30) Melbourne or the Bush : Essays on Australian Literature and Society 1974; (p. 33-45)
Fact and Fiction Brian McFarlane , 1980 single work criticism
— Appears in: Martin Boyd's Langton Novels 1980; (p. 1-7)
When Blackbirds Sing Brian McFarlane , 1980 single work criticism
— Appears in: Martin Boyd's Langton Novels 1980; (p. 41-49)
Last amended 11 Oct 2018 08:21:30
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