Capricornia (novel)

Capricornia
First UK edition (UK)
AuthorXavier Herbert
GenreFiction
PublisherThe Publicist, Sydney
Publication date
1938
Pages510
ISBN978-0-207-13304-6
OCLC220213222
Preceded by– 
Followed bySeven Emus 

Capricornia (1938) is the debut novel by Xavier Herbert.[1]

Like his later work considered by many a masterpiece, the Miles Franklin Award-winning Poor Fellow My Country, it provides a fictional account of life in 'Capricornia', a place clearly modelled specifically on Australia's Northern Territory, and to a lesser degree on tropical Australia in general, (i.e. anywhere north of the Tropic of Capricorn) in the early twentieth century. It was written in London between 1930 and 1932.

Highly influenced by the Jindyworobak Movement, it also describes the inter-racial relationships and abuses of the period.[2]

It was written before Herbert was acting Protector of the Aborigines in Darwin.[3]

  1. ^ Austlit - Capricornia by Xavier Herbert
  2. ^ "Australian Humanities Review - "Aboriginalism: White Aborigines and Australian Nationalism" by Ian Mclean, May 1998". Archived from the original on 2016-11-17. Retrieved 2016-08-11.
  3. ^ Dutton, Geoffrey (1985). The Australian Collection: Australia’s Greatest Books. Australia: Angus & Robertson. pp. 160–162. ISBN 0-207-14961-5.