Jean-francois Vernay

Water from the Moon: Illusion and Reality in the Works of Australian Novelist Christopher Koch Jean-francois Vernay

Author of six novels, Christopher John Koch (born in 1932) is one of Australia's leading novelists who enjoys worldwide recognition. Koch's writing has its finger on the pulse of today's changing society. Not only does his work fall within a universal stream but it also stands out as a production of its own, built like a puzzle with distinct pieces. Through fiction, Koch explores other genres - the fairy tale, drama, poetry - to the point of producing multi-faceted works which challenge classification. In spite of the constant renewal of his settings for action, one notices the presence of a main thread which runs through Koch's fiction: the antipodean and ambiguous relationship between illusion and reality. This theoretically-informed monograph provides a book-by-book analysis of the novelist's ouvre and gives a full picture of his Weltanschauung. It is valuable reference for scholars in Australian Studies, as well as those researching postcolonial, psychoanalytic and literary theories.