Say No to Death (1951) is a novel by Australian writer Dymphna Cusack. It was originally published in Australia by Heinemann, and later in the US by William Morrow under the title The Sun in My Hands.[1]
| Author | Dymphna Cusack |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fiction |
| Publisher | Heinemann |
Publication date | 1951 |
| Publication place | Australia |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 324pp |
| Preceded by | Come in Spinner |
| Followed by | Southern Steel |
Story outline
editSet in Sydney following the war, the novel follows the medical journey of Jan, a young woman suffering from tuberculosis, and her struggles to gain any help from a Government health service struggling for funds.
Critical reception
editA reviewer in The Age was impressed by the novel: "'A novel built entirely around a social injustice is a rarity, but with competence and courage Dymphna Cusack, in Say No to Death, has presented the subject of the tuberculosis patient and, in a story of heroism, pathos and great sympathy, put the case for the sick civilian at the mercy of a Government — a Government and a people — who respond to the needs of the scourge of war so much more readily than to the scourge of illness...This is a book well worth reading, as much for the story as for the message it carries."[2]
A reviewer in The Mercury had a similar view: "In painting her characters all typically Australian - Miss Cusack has reached unusual literary heights. She shows a deep knowledge of the vagaries of human nature. The unexpected, courageous ending gives the final touch to a novel which must rank high in Australian literature."[3]
Publication history
edit- Heinemann, Australia, 1951[4]
- William Morrow, US, 1952, under the title The Sun in My Hands[1]
- Seven Seas Publishers, Germany, 1959[5]
- Angus & Robertson, Australia, 1967;[6] and reprinted in 1974[7]
- Cedric Chivers, UK, 1973[8]
The novel was also translated into Russian (1961), Norwegian (1963), Lithuanian (1963), Romanian (1965), Hungarian (1968), Czech (1969), German (1970), and Georgian (1975).[9]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Say No to Death by Dymphna Cusack". Austlit. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
- ^ "Novels with Intent", The Age, 9 February 1952, p8
- ^ "An Australian Mimi" by Scribe, The Mercury, 5 January 1952, p15
- ^ "Say No to Death (Heinemann)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
- ^ "Say No to Death (Seven Seas)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
- ^ "Say No to Death (A&R 1967)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
- ^ "Say No to Death (A&R 1974)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
- ^ "Say No to Death (Cedric Chivers)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
- ^ "Say No to Death". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 June 2023.