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'In a review of Peter Carey's True History of the Kelly Gang, the poet
Peter Porter commented that the three most potent icons in Australian
popular history were Ned Kelly, Phar Lap, and Donald Bradman. Of these
Ned Kelly has the longest history, and has undergone numerous revivals
and reconfigurations. One might also argue that he was the least
successful of the three; he was a man who saw himself as a victim of
empire, class, race, and the judicial system. At least that is how
Kelly presents himself in The Jerilderie Letter, and many of those who
have written about him affirm that this view was justified. So the
question is why and in what ways Ned Kelly has become so potent; why
cannot Australians let him die? And what does he mean to Australians,
or indeed the rest of the world, today? This essay will glance briefly
at some early representations of Kelly, before discussing in more
detail Peter Carey's revival of Kelly, and considering the significance
of that revival in the present.' (Author's abstract)
Compares the covers of Australian, American and English editions of recent Australian novels, including three novels short-listed for the 2002 Miles Franklin Award.
