The Company: The Story of a Murderer
2000 novel by Australian writer Ararbella Edge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
| |
| Author | Arabella Edge |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fiction |
| Publisher | Picador |
| Publication date | 2000 |
| Publication place | Australia |
| 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 |
Synopsis
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
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
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
- Commonwealth Writers' Prize — South East Asia and South Pacific Region — Best First Book Award winner 2001[5]
- Miles Franklin Award shortlisted 2001[1]