Seeking the Centre: The Australian Desert in Literature, Art and Film by Roslynn D Haynes

Book Description

Secondhand. Good condition. Wear to book corners and edges. Light foxing to top foredge. Mark on right foredge. Dust jacket has light creasing and fading to spine. Now enclosed in protective covering. Highlighting to the table of contents, the interior is otherwise very good. Review copy.

The desert - simultaneously alluring and repellent - has a hypnotic presence in Australian culture. The 'Centre' is distant and unknown to most Australians, yet has become a symbol of the country, most recently being promoted as a site for eco-tourism, new age enlightenment, environmental renewal and racial reconciliation.

This exciting book reveals the singular impact that the desert, both geographical and metaphorical, has had on Australian identity. While it concentrates on the period from white settlement to the present, it also examines prehistory, touching on the geological significance of the Australian desert. At the heart of the book is the contrast between the European-driven notion of an empty, monotonous wilderness, and the profound spiritual relationship that Aboriginal Australians have with the desert. (book flap)