y separately published work icon The Time of the Peacock : Stories selected work   short story  
Issue Details: First known date: 1965... 1965 The Time of the Peacock : Stories
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

Most of the twelve stories in the collection are narrated by the small Indian girl, Nimmie, who weaves together the sometimes happy, sometimes sad, strands of a mixed Moslem and Hindu Indian-Australian home community in near physical isolation from city or town life.

Notes

  • Acknowledgments: These stories were first published in the Bulletin, with the exception of 'The Babu from Bengal' and 'A Long Way', which first appeared in Quadrant and Hemisphere respectively.

Contents

* Contents derived from the Sydney, New South Wales,:Angus and Robertson , 1965 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.
The Time of the Peacock, Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , single work short story (p. 1-10)
Because of the Ruzilla Because of the Rusilla, Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , single work short story (p. 11-20)
Kumari, Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , single work short story (p. 21-28)
Mirbani, Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , single work short story (p. 29-41)
The Outlaws, Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , single work short story (p. 42-51)
High Maharajah, Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , single work short story (p. 52-58)
The Singing Man, Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , single work short story (p. 59-67)
The Child that Wins, Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , single work short story (p. 68-77)
The Dragon of Kashmir, Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , single work short story young adult (p. 78-83)
The Babu from Bengal, Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , single work short story (p. 84-92)
Grandfather Tiger, Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , single work short story (p. 93-100)
A Long Way, Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , single work short story (p. 101-114)
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* Contents derived from the New York (City), New York (State),
c
United States of America (USA),
c
Americas,:Roy Publishers , 1965 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.
The Time of the Peacock, Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , single work short story (p. 1-10)
Because of the Ruzilla Because of the Rusilla, Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , single work short story (p. 11-20)
Kumari, Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , single work short story (p. 21-28)
Mirbani, Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , single work short story (p. 29-41)
The Outlaws, Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , single work short story (p. 42-51)
High Maharajah, Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , single work short story (p. 52-58)
The Singing Man, Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , single work short story (p. 59-67)
The Child that Wins, Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , single work short story (p. 68-77)
The Dragon of Kashmir, Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , single work short story young adult (p. 78-83)
The Babu from Bengal, Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , single work short story (p. 84-92)
Grandfather Tiger, Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , single work short story (p. 93-100)
VIEW ENTIRE CONTENTS ( works)
* Contents derived from the North Ryde, Ryde - Gladesville - Hunters Hill area, Northwest Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales,:Sirius Books , 1989 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.
The Time of the Peacock, Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , single work short story (p. 1-10)
Because of the Ruzilla Because of the Rusilla, Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , single work short story (p. 11-20)
Kumari, Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , single work short story (p. 21-28)
Mirbani, Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , single work short story (p. 29-41)
The Outlaws, Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , single work short story (p. 42-51)
High Maharajah, Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , single work short story (p. 52-58)
The Singing Man, Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , single work short story (p. 59-67)
The Child that Wins, Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , single work short story (p. 68-77)
The Dragon of Kashmir, Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , single work short story young adult (p. 78-83)
The Babu from Bengal, Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , single work short story (p. 84-92)
Grandfather Tiger, Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , single work short story (p. 93-100)
VIEW ENTIRE CONTENTS ( works)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

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  • Also braille, sound recording.
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Works about this Work

Beyond Home and into the World : Family in the Short Stories of the South Asian Diaspora in Australia Amit Sarwal , 2014 single work criticism
— Appears in: Antipodes , December vol. 28 no. 2 2014; (p. 379-391) 'The family, as the primary unit of society, has been of great interest for sociologists and anthropologists. They have been interested in the structure of the family, the norms, experiences, anxieties, ideology, values, and rules that govern it along with the roles played by different members to achieve its complex equilibrium. Family and home are crucial sites for South Asian immigrants in Australia, as it provides them an anchoring–roots for socializing, teaching children inherited cultural values, structuring roles, and domestic divisions. Here, Sarwal examines migration of families and the carrying over of socio-cultural structures that are presented in the works of short story writers of South Asian diaspora in Australia. He emphasizes the ways in which the family experience of migrating and integrating into Australia from the Indian subcontinent has affected the immigrants' choices in life.' (Publication summary)
Australian Sunlight, Indian Shadows : 'The Time of the Peacock' Malati Mathur , 2013 single work criticism
— Appears in: Bridging Imaginations : South Asian Diaspora in Australia 2013; (p. 312-322) Mathur writes: 'In their attempt to represent themselves and give voice to their ideas and feelings, Asian-Australian writers are turning the traditional image of the 'other' created by white Australian writers on its head. Their writing not only revises and subverts the hitherto white representation of mainstream writing but also is a way of writing back, a challenging of the stereotypical portrayal of Asians in mainstream literature. By doing this, Asian-Australian writers have inverted the gaze. By looking at themselves, asserting their own point of view, they are changing what had once been passive (object) into an active agent of change and speech (the subject)' (p. 316). The author goes on to demonstrate this through Mena Abdullah and Ray Mathew's In the Time of the Peacock.
Terrains of Self-Fashioning : Indian Diasporic Fiction in Australia Sanghamitra Dalal , 2011 single work criticism
— Appears in: Landscape, Place and Culture : Linkages between Australia and India 2011; (p. 250-260) 'Sanghamitra Dalal shows how perception of landscape iconography changes, using Mena Abdulla's The Time of the Peacock and Christopher Cyrill's The Ganges and its Tributaries. These texts indicate evolving representation of landscape and place, which Dalal uses to mark phases of diasporic identity formation and of differing modes of integrating homeland and host land' (editor's Preface).
Reconfiguring 'Asian Australian' Writing : Australia, India and Inez Baranay Paul Sharrad , 2010 single work criticism
— Appears in: Southerly , vol. 70 no. 3 2010; (p. 11-29) Mapping South Asian Diasporas 2018; (p. 250-267)
The Asian Conspiracy : Deploying Voice/Deploying Story Merlinda Bobis , 2010 single work criticism
— Appears in: Australian Literary Studies , October vol. 25 no. 3 2010; (p. 1-19) 'This essay develops on the premise of imagining, which is the heart of story-making: imagine the physicality of story. Imagine the deployment strategies, the covert 'translations' of difference' that facilitate the entry of the Other story through the gate.
And once inside, imagine how this Otherness is legitimised, packaged and consumed within the Australian nation.' (p. 3)
[Review] The Time of the Peacock Helen Horton , 1993 single work review
— Appears in: Imago : New Writing , March vol. 5 no. 1 1993; (p. 93-94)
— Review of Intruders Manfred Jurgensen , 1992 selected work short story ; The Time of the Peacock : Stories Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , 1965 selected work short story ; Rock 'n' Roll Heroes Peter Skrzynecki , 1992 selected work short story
[Review] The Time of the Peacock Nancy Keesing , 1965 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , October vol. 4 no. 12 1965; (p. 225)
— Review of A Bunch of Ratbags William Charles Dick , 1965 single work novel ; The Time of the Peacock : Stories Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , 1965 selected work short story
[Review] The Time of the Peacock Bruce Nesbitt , 1965 single work review
— Appears in: The Australian , 23 October 1965; (p. 10)
— Review of The Time of the Peacock : Stories Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , 1965 selected work short story
The Outback Indians Maurice Shadbolt , 1965 single work review
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 30 October vol. 87 no. 4470 1965; (p. 53-54)
— Review of The Time of the Peacock : Stories Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , 1965 selected work short story
Stories of a Punjabi Family in Australia Thea Astley , 1965 single work review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 4 September 1965; (p. 17)
— Review of The Time of the Peacock : Stories Mena Abdullah , Ray Mathew , 1965 selected work short story
Triple Ambivalence : Australia, Canada and South Asia in the Diasporic Imagination Makarand Paranjape , 2002 single work criticism
— Appears in: Australian Canadian Studies , vol. 20 no. 2 2002; (p. 81-113) Journal of the Department of English , vol. 32 no. 1-2 2005; (p. 232-260) Focussing on 'the dialectics of longing and belonging', this article examines the ways in which 'diasporic fictions' relate to their homelands. It compares texts and attitudes in three continents: North America, South Asia and Australia. Part I of the article deals with the Australia-Asia relationship and has two sections: 'Australian Attitudes to Asia' and 'Asian Accounts of Australia'. Part II discusses 'South Asian Canada'.
Children's National Notes : India and Australia in Mena Abdullah's The Time of the Peacock and Stow's The Merry-Go-Round in the Sea Abhaya Gowda , 2003 single work criticism
— Appears in: Austral-Asian Encounters : From Literature and Women's Studies to Politics and Tourism 2003; (p. 196-203)
Writing across Boundaries : South Asian Diasporas and Homelands Makarand Paranjape , 2003 single work criticism
— Appears in: Diaspora and Multiculturalism : Common Traditions and New Developments 2003; (p. 231-260)
The Good Australian and the Lure of Islam Peter Coleman , 2006 single work criticism
— Appears in: Quadrant , May vol. 50 no. 5 2006; (p. 36-38) Peter Coleman discusses the future of Australian multiculturalism.
Mena Abdullah's Untranslatable Diasporic Identity Paul Sharrad , 2000 single work criticism
— Appears in: The Literature of Indian Diaspora : Essays in Criticism 2000; (p. 252-261) Paul Sharrad reads Mena Abdullah's collection of short stories Time of the Peacock, noting that although the stories, published in book-form in 1965, are 'not stridently oppositional,' neither are they 'passively consenting to assimilation' (254). They offer, Sharrad argues, productive sites for engagement with issues of community, identity, and diaspora.
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Last amended 19 Aug 2009 12:24:38
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