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The Company: The Story of a Murderer

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The Company: The Story of a Murderer
AuthorArabella Edge
LanguageEnglish
GenreFiction
PublisherPicador
Publication date
2000
Publication placeAustralia
Media typePrint
Pages371 pp.
AwardsCommonwealth Writers' Prize — South East Asia and South Pacific Region — Best First Book Award winner 2001
ISBN0330362208
Preceded by
Followed byThe God of Spring 

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]

Synopsis

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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

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After its initial publication in Australia by Picador in 2000,[2] the novel was reprinted by Picador in 2001 and then published as follows:

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

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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

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Austlit — The Company by Arabella Edge (Picador) 2000". Austlit. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  2. ^ "The Company (Picador 2000)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  3. ^ "The Company (S&S 2001)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  4. ^ ""The Company: The Story of a Murderer"". Historical Novel Society. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  5. ^ "Commonwealth Writers' Prize Regional Winners 1987–2007" (PDF). Commonwealth Foundation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 October 2007.