Wanting (novel)

2008 novel by Richard Flanagan

Wanting

First edition

Author| Richard Flanagan
Language| English
Publisher| Knopf, Australia

Publication date

| 2008
Publication place| Australia
Media type| Print Hardback & Paperback
Pages| 256 pp
ISBN| 978-1-74166-655-7
OCLC| 270765982

Dewey Decimal

| A823.3 22
LC Class| PR9619.3.F525 W36 2008
Preceded by| The Unknown Terrorist (2006)

Wanting is a 2008 novel by Australian author Richard Flanagan.

## Plot summary

[edit]

Wanting cuts between two stories based on real historical figures under the central theme of 'wanting' and is set in both nineteenth century Tasmania and Britain. One tells the tale of an Aboriginal child, Mathinna, adopted by then governor of Van Diemen’s Land, Sir John Franklin and his wife Lady Jane; the other of Charles Dickens’ love affair with Ellen Ternan after one of his daughters dies.[1]

## Reception

[edit]

Many critics regarded Wanting as one of the best novels of the year.[2][3][4]

## Notes

[edit]

* Dedication: "For Kevin Perkins".
* Epigraph: "You see, reason, gentlemen, is a fine thing, that is unquestionable, but reason is only reason and satisfies only man's reasoning capacity, while wanting is a manifestation of the whole of life." Fyodor Dostoevsky
* Epigraph: "That which is wanting cannot be numbered." Ecclesiastes

## Awards

[edit]

* 2008 Western Australia Premier's Prize[5]
* 2009 Queensland Premier's Prize[5]
* 2009 New Yorker Notable Book of the Year
* 2009 Washington Post Book of the Year
* 2009 London Observer Book of the Year

## Reviews

[edit]

* "The Australian"
* "Publishers Weekly"
* "New York Times"
* "... the savagery of the colonizing powers and further still the savagery of civilised society is laid bare for the reader to reflect upon. Flanagan’s writing style is masterful, grabbing the reader by the shoulders and forcing them to delve into their own ideologies and beliefs on good and evil, discipline and desire, right and wrong. "Booklover Book Reviews"
* http://www.lemonde.fr/livres/article/2010/11/04/desirer-de-richard-flanagan_1435275_3260.html
* http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-ca-richard-flanagan10-2009may10,0,5098051.story

## Interviews

[edit]

* Jason Steger in "The Age"
* Ramona Kaval on "The Book Show"
* Simon Bevilacqua in "The Mercury"
* Sally Warhaft on "Slow TV"

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Flanagan, Richard (2009). Wanting. Random House Australia. pp. Cover blurb. ISBN 978-1-74166-668-7.
2. ^ Holmes, Rachel (12 September 2009). "Wanting by Richard Flanagan". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011.
3. ^ "A subtle weaving of passion and despair". The Irish Times. 10 October 2009.
4. ^ "Sydney Morning Herald | Reviews". Archived from the original on 22 February 2011. Retrieved 18 November 2010.
5. ^ a b "Wanting". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. Retrieved 13 March 2022.

## External links

[edit]

* Wanting - at Penguin Books

This article about a 2000s novel is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

See guidelines for writing about novels. Further suggestions might be found on the article's talk page.

|

* v
* t
* e

*[OCLC]: Online Computer Library Center number
*[LC Class]: Library of Congress Classification
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template