Australia Felix

Based on the life of her parents, Australia Felix (1917) is a novel by Henry Handel Richardson that depicts the decline of a man due to mental illness and the lengths his wife must go to care for their family. Richard Mahony, the proprietor of Diggers Emporium, finds it hard to respect his customers, who find his upper-class sensibilities snobbish. When he marries Polly Turnham, she suggests he abandon his business and turn to medicine, which is successful. This edition of the novel is a classic of Australian literature reimagined for modern readers.

Format: Hardback
Length: 382 pages
Publication date: 15 February 2022
Publisher: West Margin Press

Australia Felix, a novel by Henry Handel Richardson, was published in 1917. The novel is based on the life of Richardson's parents and is the first in a trilogy later published as The Fortunes of Richard Mahony in 1930. The trilogy has received widespread praise from authors and critics for its shocking portrayal of a man's decline due to mental illness and the extreme measures his wife must take to care for their young family.

The story begins with a man being buried alive in a shaft on the Gravel Pits. While working in a deep wet hole, he neglected to slab the walls of a drive, resulting in the yielding of uprights and tailors under lateral pressure. The rotten earth collapsed, bringing down the roof in its train.

Richard Mahony, the protagonist, enters this dangerous world of mining in search of fortune. He operates Diggers Emporium, a store that relies on the trust of rugged, hard-drinking gold miners. However, the men find it difficult to respect Mahony, a teetotaler with upper-class sensibilities that they perceive as snobbish or insulting. As his store begins to fail, Richard turns his attention to Polly Turnham, a servant at the local hotel.

After marrying Polly, she suggests to her husband that he abandon his business and pursue a career in medicine. Richard establishes a successful practice in Ballarat, allowing him and his wife to start a family and live comfortably for a time. However, their comfortable life is disrupted when Richard's mental health deteriorates further, and he becomes increasingly paranoid and delusional.

The novel explores themes of mental illness, societal expectations, and the complexities of marriage. Richardson's writing is characterized by her vivid descriptions and her portrayal of the Australian landscape. The edition of Australia Felix published by Penguin Classics features a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, making it a classic of Australian literature reimagined for modern readers.

In conclusion, Australia Felix is a powerful and enduring novel that delves into the depths of human suffering and the resilience of the human spirit. Richardson's portrayal of mental illness and the challenges of marriage is both poignant and thought-provoking, and the novel continues to resonate with readers today.

Dimension: 203 x 127 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781513133942