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The Velodrome
It was from under the velodrome that young Leon saw his father and the bikes tumbling to the bottom, all tangled up. And as he makes the journey north, the velodrome is never far from Leon's consciousness.
137 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1988
About the author
Liam Davison
20 books4 followersLiam Patrick Davison was an award-winning Australian novelist. He was born in Melbourne, where until 2007, he taught creative writing at the Chisholm Institute of Technology in Frankston.
Educated at St Bede's College, Melbourne and Melbourne Teacher's College. Davison was awarded the National Book Council's Banjo Award for Fiction in 1993 and has been shortlisted for several literary prizes such as The Age Book of the Year Award and the Victorian Premier's Literary Award. His work is characterised by its sharp and perceptive insights into Australian history and landscape.
He was married with two children, Sam and Milly, and lived on the Mornington Peninsula. (Wikipedia)
Liam Davison and his wife Frankie were aboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH-17 when it was shot down over disputed territory in Ukraine, and all lives were lost.
Educated at St Bede's College, Melbourne and Melbourne Teacher's College. Davison was awarded the National Book Council's Banjo Award for Fiction in 1993 and has been shortlisted for several literary prizes such as The Age Book of the Year Award and the Victorian Premier's Literary Award. His work is characterised by its sharp and perceptive insights into Australian history and landscape.
He was married with two children, Sam and Milly, and lived on the Mornington Peninsula. (Wikipedia)
Liam Davison and his wife Frankie were aboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH-17 when it was shot down over disputed territory in Ukraine, and all lives were lost.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
September 9, 2014
It’s a sad thing to discover an Aussie author’s work only because he was killed in an atrocity, (see Vale Liam Davison) but it has been a delight to read his first novel. Actually it’s a novella, of only 137 pages, but it’s a remarkable debut. It’s called The Velodrome and the Vogel judges shortlisted it in 1987, signalling the emergence of a writer of considerable talent.
(Davison lost out to Ilias by Jim Sakkas, a novel which its own author thinks he might have won [the Vogel] because it was the beginning of interest in more diverse novels, the era of multiculturalism. In an interview with an un-named critic at The Australian, for a post-Darville Demidenko article exploring ‘one-hit wonders’, Sakkas – who admits that he was a hobby-author, not someone hoping to make a career of writing - thought that The Velodrome should have won. (My apologies if the link fails at The Australian’s paywall). Having now read both novels, (Ilias back in 1997) I certainly agree with Sakkas, whose novel was alas so forgettable that it failed to trigger any memories even with the help of my trusty reading journal. In the event, Davison went on to become a highly regarded author, winning the National Book Council’s Banjo Award for Fiction in 1993 for Soundings, and shortlisted for literary prizes such as The Age Book of the Year Award and the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award. He was also a recipient of the Marten Bequest Travelling Scholarship, and a Fellowship from the Literature Board of Australia. I can’t help but wonder if there is another manuscript-in-progress amongst Davison’s effects… After all, John A Scott took ten years to write his brilliant N, eh? (See my review).
The Velodrome is a coming-of-age novel, introducing its narrator – Leon – losing his virginity underneath the Velodrome. This moment is seared into his memory as he looks up through the cracks to the racers above:
The noise was getting louder again, rattling right down to the bottom of the track where we were, down through my hunched-up shoulder blades, and with it came a wind pushing down through the cracks from the whirling pedals causing puffs of dust to curl up into my eyes. Through it all I could see their faces straining down over the machines as if they were trying to peer down through the cracks at us – my father’s face twisted into a grimace, scowling down at me, Eric’s face squinting beside him, Sam Ballard pushing great breaths out from under his moustache, and the faces of men I didn’t know all watching, watching, then Jody grabbed my hand and put it somewhere where it was warm.
I heard the pedals lock together, metal right against metal. Something heavy buckled above us and all the bikes came tumbling down, twisting and wrenching out of shape as they came to lie in a tangled mass just above our heads. With them came the cyclists, still curved over their twisted frames. They made dull thuds as they hit the wooden track and rolled awfully down to the bottom. (p. 6)
Leon’s father is killed in this fall, and his cycling mate Eric is so badly injured he’s confined to a wheelchair.
To read the rest of my review (but beware, there are spoilers there) please visit http://anzlitlovers.com/2014/07/26/th...
(Davison lost out to Ilias by Jim Sakkas, a novel which its own author thinks he might have won [the Vogel] because it was the beginning of interest in more diverse novels, the era of multiculturalism. In an interview with an un-named critic at The Australian, for a post-Darville Demidenko article exploring ‘one-hit wonders’, Sakkas – who admits that he was a hobby-author, not someone hoping to make a career of writing - thought that The Velodrome should have won. (My apologies if the link fails at The Australian’s paywall). Having now read both novels, (Ilias back in 1997) I certainly agree with Sakkas, whose novel was alas so forgettable that it failed to trigger any memories even with the help of my trusty reading journal. In the event, Davison went on to become a highly regarded author, winning the National Book Council’s Banjo Award for Fiction in 1993 for Soundings, and shortlisted for literary prizes such as The Age Book of the Year Award and the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award. He was also a recipient of the Marten Bequest Travelling Scholarship, and a Fellowship from the Literature Board of Australia. I can’t help but wonder if there is another manuscript-in-progress amongst Davison’s effects… After all, John A Scott took ten years to write his brilliant N, eh? (See my review).
The Velodrome is a coming-of-age novel, introducing its narrator – Leon – losing his virginity underneath the Velodrome. This moment is seared into his memory as he looks up through the cracks to the racers above:
The noise was getting louder again, rattling right down to the bottom of the track where we were, down through my hunched-up shoulder blades, and with it came a wind pushing down through the cracks from the whirling pedals causing puffs of dust to curl up into my eyes. Through it all I could see their faces straining down over the machines as if they were trying to peer down through the cracks at us – my father’s face twisted into a grimace, scowling down at me, Eric’s face squinting beside him, Sam Ballard pushing great breaths out from under his moustache, and the faces of men I didn’t know all watching, watching, then Jody grabbed my hand and put it somewhere where it was warm.
I heard the pedals lock together, metal right against metal. Something heavy buckled above us and all the bikes came tumbling down, twisting and wrenching out of shape as they came to lie in a tangled mass just above our heads. With them came the cyclists, still curved over their twisted frames. They made dull thuds as they hit the wooden track and rolled awfully down to the bottom. (p. 6)
Leon’s father is killed in this fall, and his cycling mate Eric is so badly injured he’s confined to a wheelchair.
To read the rest of my review (but beware, there are spoilers there) please visit http://anzlitlovers.com/2014/07/26/th...
Displaying 1 of 1 review