Holden's Performance

The Story

Holden's Performance is the story of Holden Shadbolt, a guileless and matter-of-fact innocent, as he passes through the cities and landscapes of Australia. His reassuring silent presence and photographic memory make him useful to men of power and women who appear to need his protection. He is surrounded by larger-than-life figures whose exploits and adventures Holden follows-ex-corporal Frank 'Bloodnut' McBee, the scrap dealer who woos his mother; his uncle Vern, a shortsighted proofreader who likes facts and eating newspaper with his breakfast cereal; and the crippled artist Harriet, whose twists and curves appeal to Holden as he holds to his own unswervingly straight lines.AUTHORBIO: MURRAY BAIL's fiction, which includes Eucalyptus, Homesickness, and Camouflage, a collection of stories, has received many major awards including the Miles Franklin Award in Australia and The Commonwealth Writers Prize. He lives in Sydney, Australia.