The Company: The Story of a Murderer
 | |
| Author | Arabella Edge |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fiction |
| Publisher | Picador |
Publication date | 2000 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 371 pp. |
| Awards | Commonwealth Writers' Prize — South East Asia and South Pacific Region — Best First Book Award winner 2001 |
| ISBN | 0330362208 |
| Preceded by | - |
| Followed by | The God of Spring |
The Company: The Story of a Murderer (2000) is the debut novel by Australian writer Arabella Edge. It was originally published by Picador in Australia in 2000.[1]
Synopsis[edit]
The novel is based on the 1629 voyage of the Batavia, a flagship of the Dutch East India Company. One of the passengers on board, Jeronimus Cornelisz, incites a mutiny and the ship is wrecked on a chain of small islands off the western coast of Australia.
Publishing history[edit]
After its initial publication in Australia by Picador in 2000,[2] the novel was reprinted by Picador in 2001 and then published as follows:
- Simon & Schuster, Australia, 2001[3] and again in 2003[1]
- Picador, UK, 2002[1]
- Picador, USA, 2003[1]
The novel was also translated into Dutch in 2001,[1] German in 2003,[1] French in 2005,[1] and Serbia in 2008.[1]
Critical reception[edit]
Writing for the Historical Novel Society John R. Vallely noted: "This is a dark and chilling view of the inner workings of a psychotic mind...Based on a true story, The Company is most assuredly not for the faint of heart. Those who can digest Cornelisz will be struck by Arabella Edge’s undoubted capabilities as a master of nuance and descriptive powers. It is a good, even compelling, story. One just has to be able to see the world through Cornelisz’s eyes to be able to enjoy it."[4]
Awards[edit]
- Commonwealth Writers' Prize — South East Asia and South Pacific Region — Best First Book Award winner 2001[5]
- Miles Franklin Award shortlisted 2001[1]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Austlit — The Company by Arabella Edge (Picador) 2000". Austlit. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
- ^ "The Company (Picador 2000)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
- ^ "The Company (S&S 2001)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
- ^ ""The Company: The Story of a Murderer"". Historical Novel Society. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
- ^ "Commonwealth Writers' Prize Regional Winners 1987–2007" (PDF). Commonwealth Foundation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 October 2007.