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The Kwinkan
The Kwinkan is a satirical parable surrounding a mysterious narrator who is part-politician, part Queensland property developer, and the forces at work in the Asia-Pacific region. It deals with international corporatism, political ambitions in an age of decaying colonialism, the clashes of competing mythologies, and the play of the dark, atavistic powers which manifest themselves in sexual disease and violence. These forces act on the characters, sometimes to unite strange bedfellows and at other times to sever connections either at a personal or national level.
PRAISE FOR MUDROOROO'S PREVIOUS NOVELS
'[Wildcat Screaming is] full of insight into the nature of man inside and outside of institutions and the sources of strength into which people dip in order to maintain hope and to survive.' - Roberta Sykes, Sydney Morning Herald
Master of the Ghost Dreaming is a real page-turner. The prose is lyrical, yet simple, the images rich and ironic... an exciting, moving and engaging novel.' - Sophie Masson, Australian Book Review
PRAISE FOR MUDROOROO'S PREVIOUS NOVELS
'[Wildcat Screaming is] full of insight into the nature of man inside and outside of institutions and the sources of strength into which people dip in order to maintain hope and to survive.' - Roberta Sykes, Sydney Morning Herald
Master of the Ghost Dreaming is a real page-turner. The prose is lyrical, yet simple, the images rich and ironic... an exciting, moving and engaging novel.' - Sophie Masson, Australian Book Review
130 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1994
3 people want to read
About the author
Mudrooroo
31 books10 followersBorn Colin Johnson in 1938, Mudrooroo grew up in institutions without his parents, before becoming a petty criminal and spending time in Fremantle Prison.
From the 1950s to the 1970s, Mudrooroo spent time living in India, the United States, and the UK, during which time he published his early novels, including "Wild Cat Falling", a political novel drawing on his own experiences as a former convict without a sense of purpose.
On returning to Australia in the late 1970s, Mudrooroo began a full-time career as a writer, lecturer, and literary advocate, publishing several volumes examining the loneliness and isolation of Australian life, with a focus on Indigenous Australian existence. By the 1990s, he added speculative fiction and young adult fiction to his repertoire. He was recognised as one of the most well-known Indigenous writers in the country, at a time when Indigenous literature was finally gaining recognition in the country.
In 1996, however, journalists revealed that Mudrooroo had no Indigenous ancestry. His background was English and African-American, and his family did not view themselves as Aboriginal. In the resulting furore, Mudrooroo argued that he had been treated as Aboriginal due to his dark skin, and had in many ways lived an Aboriginal life. The scandal divided observers: some felt that Mudrooroo's contribution to Aboriginal writing, and his identification with Australia's First Peoples, gave him some claims of kinship. Many others felt that he had used stories that were not his, and actively lied, at a time when Aboriginal authenticity and identity were already under attack from white nationalists and cultural conservatives.
Although he published some final volumes through to the year 2000, Mudrooroo's reputation was sullied and he subsequently left Australia for Nepal. His writings have largely vanished from the school curriculum, with the prevailing cultural attitude of the modern era that Indigeneity comes from bloodlines and acceptance by the broader Indigenous community, rather than from self-identification.
In 2011, Mudrooroo returned to Australia with his wife and son, publishing a semi-autobiographical novel "Balga Boy Jackson" in 2017. He died in Brisbane in 2019.
From the 1950s to the 1970s, Mudrooroo spent time living in India, the United States, and the UK, during which time he published his early novels, including "Wild Cat Falling", a political novel drawing on his own experiences as a former convict without a sense of purpose.
On returning to Australia in the late 1970s, Mudrooroo began a full-time career as a writer, lecturer, and literary advocate, publishing several volumes examining the loneliness and isolation of Australian life, with a focus on Indigenous Australian existence. By the 1990s, he added speculative fiction and young adult fiction to his repertoire. He was recognised as one of the most well-known Indigenous writers in the country, at a time when Indigenous literature was finally gaining recognition in the country.
In 1996, however, journalists revealed that Mudrooroo had no Indigenous ancestry. His background was English and African-American, and his family did not view themselves as Aboriginal. In the resulting furore, Mudrooroo argued that he had been treated as Aboriginal due to his dark skin, and had in many ways lived an Aboriginal life. The scandal divided observers: some felt that Mudrooroo's contribution to Aboriginal writing, and his identification with Australia's First Peoples, gave him some claims of kinship. Many others felt that he had used stories that were not his, and actively lied, at a time when Aboriginal authenticity and identity were already under attack from white nationalists and cultural conservatives.
Although he published some final volumes through to the year 2000, Mudrooroo's reputation was sullied and he subsequently left Australia for Nepal. His writings have largely vanished from the school curriculum, with the prevailing cultural attitude of the modern era that Indigeneity comes from bloodlines and acceptance by the broader Indigenous community, rather than from self-identification.
In 2011, Mudrooroo returned to Australia with his wife and son, publishing a semi-autobiographical novel "Balga Boy Jackson" in 2017. He died in Brisbane in 2019.
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