 First edition | |
| Author | Thomas Keneally |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fiction |
| Publisher | Angus and Robertson, Australia |
Publication date | 1972 |
| Publication place | Australia |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 178 pp |
| ISBN | 0207123756 |
The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith is a 1972Booker Prize-nominated Australian novel byThomas Keneally,[1] and a 1978Australianfilm of the same name directed byFred Schepisi.[2] The novel is based on the life ofbushrangerJimmy Governor, the subject of an earlier book byFrank Clune.[3]
The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith is set in 19th century New South Wales and tells the ultimately tragic story of Jimmie, an Aboriginal man caught between his family and culture and white settler colonialism.
The story is written from the perspective of Jimmie Blacksmith, anIndigenous Australian man on a mission of revenge. The story is a fictionalised retelling of the life of the infamous Indigenous bushrangerJimmy Governor.
Keneally has said that were he to write the novel today he would not write 'from within a black consciousness'.[4]
The novel was nominated for theBooker Prize in 1972, losing toJohn Berger'sG..
The film won the Best Original Music Score (Bruce Smeaton), Best Actress in a Lead Role (Angela Punch McGregor) and Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Ray Barrett) and was nominated for 9 more awards at theAustralian Film Institute (AFI) for 1978. It was also nominated for thePalme d'Or (Golden Palm) at the1978 Cannes Film Festival.[5]
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