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The Songlines  By  cover art

The Songlines

By: Charles Bruce Chatwin
Narrated by: Hugh Fraser
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Publisher's summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

Bruce Chatwin provides a fascinating background to indigenous Australian life.

The songlines are the invisible pathways that criss-cross Australia, tracks connecting communities and following ancient boundaries. Along these lines, Aboriginals passed the songs which revealed the creation of the land and the secrets of its past. In this magical account, Chatwin recalls his travels across the length and breadth of Australia seeking to find the truth about the songs and unravel the mysteries of their stories.

©2019 Charles Bruce Chatwin (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

That Chatwin is one of the most distinct and original writers we have is confirmed by the publication of another quite remarkable book (Nicholas Shakespeare)
The songlines emerge as invisible pathways connecting up all over Australia: ancient tracks made of songs which tell of the creation of the land. The Aboriginals' religious duty is ritually to travel the land, singing the Ancestors' songs: singing the world into being afresh. The Songlines is one man's impassioned song (David Sexton)
Chatwin is not simply describing another culture; he is also making cautious assertions about human nature. Towards the end of his life Sartre wondered why people still write novels; had he read Chatwin's he might have found new excitement in the genre (Edmund White)

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  • Jonathan Charles Cracknell
  • 01-20-20

More than travel writing

This was my first book by Bruce Chatwin: when I read it I wasn't aware that he was classed as a travel writer. He is so much more than that. This book is about Aborigines and the concept of "Walkabout" and although this was Bruce Chatwin's doctoral thesis, it is eminently readable, as I said, he is so much more than a "Travel writer". His analysis of "walkabout" is gleaned from his interaction with aboriginal tribes ,who are jealously protective of the secrets of their culture. It shows an incredibly sophisticated map of connections, transcending family ties, or indeed tribal ties, that remain inscrutable, to the outsider, and an almost mystical connection to the landscape and the process of sustaining creation. eg. the dance of Shiva in Hinduism,The deity destroys and creates, simultaneously, and dances in the circle of fire, which is the cosmos, and the very fact of the dance, sustains creation.All these concepts are contained in this wonderful book which gave me a much deeper understanding of the complexity of Aboriginal culture. Highly recommended

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  • Anonymous User
  • 12-28-19

Memorable

Engaging, enlightening, brilliantly narrated. A glimpse of a timeless culture and soul of indigenous people.


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  • Mr. M. J. Webb
  • 06-07-21

Fascinating blend of travel memoir and research on man’s origins and deepest nature

Fascinating exploration of the Aboriginal world view, told through Chatwin’s journey alongside a white expert and friend, Arkady. There are also his extensive reflections on the origin of man and his prehistoric and traditional lifestyles around the world. These are also really interesting but mean that there isn’t an especially powerful flow of a story.

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  • Pukumahi
  • 11-01-20

editing and pronunciation issues

i love this book. Hugh's voice was great. i do wish he had done more research on pronouncing the words e.g. not spine a fex but spin a fex. null arbor as in the latin for no trees.
the first line of many of the chapters repeated too which was annoying.

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