Such Is Life - Hardcover

by Joseph Furphy (Author), Mint Editions (Contribution by)

Such is Life (1903) is a novel by Joseph Furphy. Written under his pseudonym "Tom Collins," Such is Life is a unique and challenging story that took decades to achieve a proper audience. Earning comparisons to the works of Melville and Twain, Furphy's novel is considered a landmark of Australian literature. "The fore part of the day was altogether devoid of interest or event. Overhead, the sun blazing wastefully and thanklessly through a rarefied atmosphere; underfoot the hot, black clay, thirsting for spring rain, and bare except for inedible roley-poleys, coarse tussocks, and the woody stubble of close-eaten salt-bush; between sky and earth, a solitary wayfarer, wisely lapt in philosophic torpor." Setting out on a trek through the outback, Tom Collins begins his seemingly endless torrent of words, a journey through language to match his journey over land. Accompanied by a dog and two horses, he meets a vibrant array of characters from all nations and walks of life; from drovers to criminals, Collins can talk with them all. Described by Furphy himself as "offensively Australian," Such is Life is part travelogue, part philosophy, a novel ahead of its time that remains informative for our own. This edition of Joseph Furphy's Such is Life is a classic work of Australian literature reimagined for modern readers.

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With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.

Back Jacket

Narrated by a philosophizing, wandering gentleman, this story of the Australian outback unfolds in fits and starts, forming an abstract portrait of life in one of Earth's harshest environments. Part wiseman, part working man, Tom Collins is a classic unreliable narrator with an eye for the weird and wonderful. Such is Life is a novel by Joseph Furphy.