| |
 |
|
|
|
|
| |
John
Birmingham. The Tasmanian Babes Fiasco. Duffy
and Snellgrove, 1997.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
In
1994 John Birmingham aired the dirty laundry of renters
across the country with his hilariously funny novel He
Died With A Felafel In His Hand. He is back again
with The Tasmanian Babes Fiasco, giving readers
another taste of life through the eyes of J.B. (the author's
alter ego) as he and his luckless York Street house-mates
fight the government, yuppie developers and some martial-art-kicking
lesbians to keep their house.
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Both
books have been described as helping to define youth culture
in Australia in the 1990s, a claim which is as much due
to John Birmingham's unique comic style as much as his
subject matter. The popularity of his style has lead to
the recent release of the motion picture He Died With
A Felafel In His Hand based on the book, and with
The Tasmanian Babes Fiasco Birmingham is onto another
winner — a witty tale of hard knocks, hardships and
hard drugs.
|
|
2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
The
strength of this wickedly funny book comes from the array
of wacky, yet lovable, characters Birmingham has created.
Each of these characters, from the hapless hippy, Decoy,
to the tough ball-breaker, Stacey, is a loser in their
own special way, and Birmingham's flair for characterisation
leaves you with the distinct and somewhat uncomfortable
feeling that you have met these people before.
|
|
3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
The
author's talent for originality extends to his theme.
The book tackles the issue of how the government brings
down the battler, but with a unique twist. The author's
aim is not that of inducing intellectually and morally
improving social argument, The Tasmanian Babes Fiasco
instead appearing to be opposed to a normal codes of behaviour
and offering no lessons to be learnt. Birmingham's characters
remain losers until the end of the novel, but in their
very acceptance of their situation become heroes against
both the government and private developers. This is best
summed up by J.B. when he says, "I don't want to lose,
but, you know..."
|
|
4 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
While
The Tasmanian Babes Fiasco is generally an engrossing
read, the structure of the story can become complex as
the narrator often gets sidetracked, jumping from past
to present and pursuing tangents. However, The Tasmanian
Babes Fiasco is a worthy sequel for those who loved
the first of Birmingham's takes on contemporary life and
readers will wait in hope for the movie adaptation.
|
|
5 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
He
Died With A Felafel In His Hand was published in
1994 by Duffy and Snellgrove.
|
|
6 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
