Ob-scene Spaces in Australian Narrative is an exhaustive survey of Australian literature
proposing itself as a journey through time and space. With a careful selection of texts which
recount Australian history from the early days of white colonization to the present this study
endeavours to cast light on the process of socio-topographic construction that the settlers
imposed upon the continent. As suggested by the title the textual inquiry conducted in this
book is driven by the stimulating ambiguity that lies between physical space and its discursive
construction. A selection of canonical and non-canonical texts by authors ranging from Henry
Lawson to Christos Tsiolkas aims to reveal the relationship between the space of the city (the
scene) and the outback (the ob-scene space beyond the metropolitan area) and its role in the
process of spatial construction that through the last two centuries has shaped Australia.
Pablo Armellino s distinctive approach to Australian literature makes Ob-scene Spaces in
Australian Narrative a very interesting work. Using a carefully selected range of novels
linked together using social and literary theory it recounts the history of colonization in
Australia in a particularly approachable manner. Through the analysis of each text the reader
seamlessly learns about the expansion of the frontier the creation of an ob-scene space beyond
it and the use the Discourse makes of this mechanism. These characteristics would appeal to
both an academic audience which would appreciate the detailed text analysis and a general
audience which would enjoy the historical and thematic aspect of the book. Professor Carmen
Concilio and Professor Pietro Deandrea Facoltà di Lingue Università di Torino
