The Life of Such is Life

<p>Since its publication in 1903 Joseph Furphy's <em>Such is Life</em> has become established as an Australian classic. But which version of the novel is the authoritative text and what does its history reveal about Australian cultural life?</p><p><br></p><p>From Furphy's handwritten manuscript through numerous editions a controversial abridgement for the British market (condemned by A.D. Hope as a mutilation) and periods of obscurity and rediscovery the text has been reshaped and repackaged by many hands. Furphy's first editors at the <em>Bulletin </em>diluted his socialist message and corrected his Australian slang to create a more marketable book. Later literary players including Vance and Nettie Palmer Miles Franklin Kate Baker and Angus & Robertson all took an interest in how Furphy's work should be published.</p><p><br></p><p>In a fascinating piece of literary detective work Osborne traces the book's journey and shows how economic and cultural forces helped to shape the novel we read today.</p>