Peter Carey and The Magic Pudding

Image: The Pudding himself in Lavender Bay, Sydney; by  SpacePotato via Flickr

How did we miss this? A character in Peter Carey's novel Theft has a thing for Norman Lindsay's Magic Pudding. For him it is a shibboleth, an internalized text constantly throwing up references the way earlier generations were everywhere reminded of tales from the Bible. Carey was asked about the connection between the two works on Australian National Radio's Book Show:

Ramona Koval: Peter Carey, finally, what is The Magic Pudding doing in the book? It's a favourite of Hugh and Marlene's; is it a favourite of yours too?

Peter Carey: I do love The Magic Pudding. I think everywhere...and I've travelled around a lot and I seem to lose my copies of The Magic Pudding and get new ones, and the truth of the matter is things find their way into your books because...a word might come into a book because of something someone said at dinner last night and it isn't the dinner that you're interested in it's the word and you pick it up and you love it and you use it, and The Magic Pudding I was rereading when I was writing the book. But Hugh does seem very much...I do think The Magic Pudding is one of the great Australian works, and Hugh somehow seems to fit...Hugh having an affection for The Magic Pudding just seemed right to me, and there are things that it just gives you an excuse to celebrate and put in the book that said something about Hugh's character, it celebrates the book, it's a very distinctive Australian book which I love.

Comments

[Barbara]

A friend of ours gave us a copy of Magic Pudding, and we absolutely loved it. My kids constantly beg for Bill Barnacle the sailor, Bunyip Bluegum the koala, and Sam Sawnoff the penguin, and the whole Noble Society of Pudding Owners.

[peacay]

You guys publish 'The Magic Pudding'? Well my opinion of you has just been elevated (despite Lindsay having been something of a right wing nut in some ways) I do love the illustrations.

I'm also happy to 'visit' NYC to find out about some literary landmarks in my own backyard that I have probably walked past and never noticed. I'll have to go up to Lavender Bay soon and take some pics.

I've scanned and intend posting some equally fabulous (and locally famous) kids book illustrations by May Gibbs who I see has some sculptural pieces in the same vicinity.

(pity her work is still -just- within copyright *cough*. But of course advocacy, dignified presentation and general lauding of the subject matter will nullify any objections right? *gulp* The rights were bequeathed to a respected medical charity so I'm counting on their financial/advertising interests tipping the balance towards a positive assessment of my little blog post.)

[and if you tell me you are the American publisher of May Gibbs books I will fair choke on the irony!!]