A Private Man

A Private Man

First edition
Author	Malcolm Knox
Language	English
Genre	Crime novel
Publisher	Vintage Books, Australia
Publication date	2004
Publication place	Australia
Media type	Print (Paperback)
Pages	385
ISBN	174051243X
Preceded by	Summerland
Followed by	Jamaica

A Private Man (2004) is a crime novel by Australian author Malcolm Knox.[1] It won the 2005 Ned Kelly Award for Best First Novel.

Plot summary

Dr John Brand has been dead for two days and his eldest son, Davis, suspects a cover-up. Another son, Chris, is batting to save his career in the Sydney Test, and a neglected third, Hammett, lurks in the background. During the five days of the cricket match, the family struggles with the death and its recriminations.

Reviews

Simon Caterson in The Age notes that the novel "makes the audacious thematic move of presenting porn as a male obsession as widespread as porn's much more socially acceptable entertainment counterpart, sport".[2]

Awards and nominations

• 2005 winner Ned Kelly Award — Best First Novel[3]
• 2005 commended Commonwealth Writers Prize — South East Asia and South Pacific Region — Best Book
• 2005 shortlisted Tasmania Pacific Region Prize — Tasmania Pacific Fiction Prize
• 2005 longlisted Miles Franklin Literary Award[4]
• 2005 shortlisted New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards — Christina Stead Prize for Fiction
• 2006 longlisted International Dublin Literary Award

References

1. "A Private Man by Malcolm Knox". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
2. "Porn again writers", The Age, 8 February 2004
3. "A Private Man". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. Archived from the original on 20 August 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
4. ""Daughter knows best"". Sydney Morining Herald, 23 April 2005, p25. ProQuest 36413207. Retrieved 30 September 2024.