Novel
Bliss
Peter Carey · 1981
Synopsis
Harry Joy, an advertising executive, is struck down by a heart attack and dies for a few moments before being revived. Back in life, he concludes that his comfortable, aimless existence is in reality a hell: his wife is cheating on him with a close friend, his son deals drugs, and his daughter, a communist, sells herself to get them. His wife has him committed, and there he meets Honey Barbara, a nature lover, healer and prostitute, who offers him another way of living.
Context
His first published novel, the book appeared in 1981 from the University of Queensland Press, then with Faber and Faber in London and Harper and Row in New York, while Carey was still running his advertising agency, the profession of his character. Britannica judges it more realistic than his earlier stories, without giving up black humour. Ray Lawrence brought it to the screen in 1985, with Barry Otto in the lead role. The translation by Xavier Pons appeared in France in 1996 with Éditions du Félin.
Who it is for
A first novel in English, satirical and fanciful, translated into French under the title Le Chemin du paradis.
Prizes and reception
Miles Franklin Award as early as 1981, then in 1982 the New South Wales Premier's Award and the National Book Council Award.
Sources for this page 3
The pages consulted to check this page.