130,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock 🇳🇿 

Happy Long Weekend! We're open all 3 days! 📚 Open 7 days, 8:30am–5pm

Barley Patch

By Gerald Murnane
0.0 (0 reviews)
3.87 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating. ( 269 ratings, 63 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Barley Patch by Gerald Murnane is an introspective exploration of the narrator's decision to stop writing fiction. Through a series of reflective and often philosophical musings, the book delves into memory, imagination, and the intricate art of storytelling. The narrative unfolds as a meditation on the nature of fiction itself, rather than a conventional story arc.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3799
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you have a keen interest in introspective narratives that explore the boundaries between fiction and reality. This novel dives deep into the realm of memory and imagination, providing a thought-provoking reflection on the act of writing itself. It's ideal for readers who appreciate contemplative and richly detailed explorations of the mind.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Often mentioned as an author in contention for the Nobel Prize, Gerald Murnane is regarded by many as Australia's most innovative and important writer of fiction. Barley Patch Must I write? What follows is a remarkable account of the images that have appeared in the author's mind during a career of over thirty years as a reader and writer.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Often mentioned as an author in contention for the Nobel Prize, Gerald Murnane is regarded by many as Australia's most innovative and important writer of fiction. Barley Patch, Murnane's first new work of fiction in fourteen years, was written after a period in which he had thought he would never write fiction again. Appropriately, the book begins with the question, Must I write?

What follows is a remarkable account of the images that have appeared in the author's mind during a career of over thirty years as a reader and writer.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Barley Patch by Gerald Murnane is often praised for its introspective and enigmatic narrative that blurs the line between fiction and autobiography. Critics commend Murnane's masterful exploration of the writing process itself, portraying a deeply personal journey that delves into the author's past and the creation of various literary worlds. The book is appreciated for its originality and the unique way it invites readers to contemplate the nature of storytelling and reality.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781920882532

Publisher: Giramondo Publishing Co

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 01 October 2009

Country: Australia

Imprint: Giramondo Publishing Co

Illustration: Illustrations

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 150.0mm

Height: 210.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 266

Collections

Fiction General Fiction Gerald Murnane Literary Fiction

Also by Gerald Murnane

View all
  • A Lifetime On Clouds
    Adrian Sherd is a teenage boy in Melbourne of the 1950s—the last years before television and the family car changed suburbia forever. Earnest and isolated, tormented by his hormones and his religious devotion, Adrian dreams of elaborate orgies with American film stars, and of marrying his sweetheart and fathering 11 children by her. He even dreams a history of the...
    By Gerald Murnane
    Paperback
    $1799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • A Season on Earth
    What he had been searching for was not the perfect religious order but the perfect landscape… From that moment on he was a poet in search of his ideal landscape. Lost to the world for more than four decades, A Season on Earth is the essential link between two acknowledged masterpieces by Gerald Murnane: the lyrical account of boyhood in...
    By Gerald Murnane
    Hardback
    $4400
    Elsewhere:
    $4800
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Plains
    "Twenty years ago, when I first arrived on the plains, I kept my eyes open. I looked for anything in the landscape that seemed to hint at some elaborate meaning behind appearances." There is no book in Australian literature like The Plains. In the two decades since its first publication, this haunting novel has earned its status as a classic....
    By Gerald Murnane
    Paperback
    $1799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • A Million Windows
    This new work of fiction by one of Australia's most highly regarded authors focuses on the importance of trust, and the possibility of betrayal, in storytelling as in life. It tests the relationship established between author and reader, and on occasions of intimacy, between child and parent, boyfriend and girlfriend, husband and wife. Murnane's fiction is woven from images, and...
    By Gerald Murnane
    Paperback
    $3499
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Something for the Pain
    As a boy, Gerald Murnane became obsessed with horse racing. He had never ridden a horse, nor seen a race. Yet he was fascinated by photos of horse races in the Sporting Globe, and by the incantation of horses' names in radio broadcasts of races. Murnane discovered in these races more than he could find in religion or philosophy—they were...
    By Gerald Murnane
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2700
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Gerald Murnane: Collected Short Fiction
    Definitive collection of the short fiction of an Australian master-storyteller who is in a league of his own. Released simultaneously with Farrar Straus Giroux's editions of Border Districts and Collected Short Fiction in New York, an event which is likely to get international media attention. This volume brings together Gerald Murnane's shorter works of fiction, most of which have been...
    By Gerald Murnane
    Paperback
    $3999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Invisible Yet Enduring Lilacs
    This collection of essays leads into the eccentric imagination of Gerald Murnane, one of the masters of contemporary Australian writing.
    By Gerald Murnane
    Paperback
    $3499
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Landscape with Landscape
    Landscape with Landscape is Gerald Murnane's fourth book, after The Plains, and his first collection of short fiction. When it was first published, thirty years ago, it was cruelly reviewed. 'I feel sorry for my fourth-eldest, which of all my book-children was the most brutally treated in its early years,' Murnane writes in his foreword to this new edition. In...
    By Gerald Murnane
    Paperback
    $3799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Border Districts
    Winner of the 2018 Prime Minister's Literary Award for Fiction A new work by a master of contemporary Australian fiction, highly regarded overseas but little-known here. Giramondo's publication of Border Districts, and the retrospective volume Collected Short Fiction (early next year) is a collaboration with the distinguished New York publisher Farrar Straus Giroux. Conceived as Gerald Murnane's last work of...
    By Gerald Murnane
    Paperback
    $3299
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Green Shadows and other poems
    Gerald Murnane turns to poetry at the end of his literary career, writing frank, disarming poems that traverse the rich span of his life. I esteem / above all poems or passages of prose / those that put a lump in my throat. - Gerald Murnane, 'The Darkling Thrush' Gerald Murnane, now in his eightieth year, began his writing career...
    By Gerald Murnane
    Paperback
    $2999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Inland
    With Giramondo's publication of Barley Patch and A History of Books, Gerald Murnane has attracted renewed interest as a brilliant writer and Nobel Prize contender. First published 25 years ago, Inland is one of Murnane's most complex and rewarding works, a study of guilt, longing and regret rich in metaphysical insights. From his native district in the Melbourne suburb of...
    By Gerald Murnane
    Paperback
    $3299
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Tamarisk Row
    Based on Murnane's own early years growing up in the Victorian country town of Bendigo, Tamarisk Row is an unsparing evocation of an impoverished Catholic childhood in the late 1940s. Originally published in 1974, and out of print for almost twenty years, Tamarisk Row is Murnane's first novel, and in many respects, his masterpiece. Not only because of its rich...
    By Gerald Murnane
    Paperback
    $3499
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks

More from General Fiction

View all
  • On Sale
    17% off
    Lizzy's Pick Lizzy's Pick
    Yesteryear
    A BOLD AND BITING SATIRE. WILL HAVE YOU GASPING TO THE FINAL PAGE — Nita Prose WICKEDLY FUNNY, BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN AND FRIGHTENINGLY PERCEPTIVE — Abigail Dean INVENTIVE, ADDICTIVE, A WILD RIDE — Ashley Audrain SHOT THROUGH WITH HUMOUR AND LACED WITH DARKNESS — Clare Mackintosh The Stepford Wives meets The Handmaid's Tale — Hannah Deitch My name was Natalie Heller...
    By Caro Claire Burke
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $3699
    (3)
    In Stock
    Ships Tuesday
  • On Sale
    14% off
    Dylan's Pick Dylan's Pick
    Theo of Golden
    THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING PHENOMENON'For anything to be truly good, there must be love in it. Nothing is what it's supposed to be if love is not at the core.' One morning, a stranger arrives in the town of Golden. No one knows who he is or where he came from…His name is Theo and he's arrived there by chance –...
    By Allen Levi
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $3499
    (6)
    In Stock
    Ships Tuesday
  • On Sale
    17% off
    The Wedding People
    'BEST READ OF THE YEAR SO FAR' THE TIMES 'BOOKS AS FUN AS THIS ONE ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN' GUARDIAN Phoebe Stone arrives at a grand beachside hotel in Rhode Island wearing her best dress and least comfortable shoes. Immediately she is mistaken for one of the wedding people — but she's actually the only guest at the Cornwall...
    By Alison Espach
    Paperback
    $2000
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (3)
    In Stock
    Ships Tuesday
  • New Release
    Threshing Day
    The next book in the blockbuster Empyrean series, Threshing Day contains thirteen stories starring your favorite characters and their dragons. The deluxe first edition includes sixteen beautiful original full-color illustrations by artist Joe Requeza.    Rebecca Yarros is the #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of over twenty novels, including Fourth Wing and In the...
    By Rebecca Yarros
    Hardback
    $6999
    In Stock
    Ships Tuesday
  • A Court of Thorns and Roses Paperback Box Set (5 books)
    All five of the Court of Thorns and Roses paperbacks packaged together in a gorgeous box set. "Passionate, violent, sexy and daring." —USA TODAY on A Court of Thorns and Roses Feyre is a huntress. The skin of a wolf would bring enough gold to feed her sisters for a month. But the life of a magical creature comes at...
    By Sarah J. Maas
    Set
    $9999
    Elsewhere:
    $12495
    (4)
    In Stock
    Ships Tuesday
  • New Release
    Lizzy's Pick Lizzy's Pick
    Chain Reaction
    Jack Reacher, \"the coolest continuing series character\" (Stephen King), returns in a brand new, pulse-pounding read from Lee and Andrew Child. The world’s bestselling hero is back in a brand new, high-octane adventure! ‘She knew that finding Reacher would not be easy . . .’ Washington DC. General Susan Turner needs help from the only guy she knows will get...
    By Lee Child and Andrew Child
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships Tuesday
  • A Court of Mist and Fury
    A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas continues Feyre Archeron's epic journey in the world of the High Fae. Having survived the brutal trials under the Mountain, Feyre returns to the Spring Court. Though she now possesses the immortal powers of the High Fae, the traumatic experiences have left scars on her human heart. Haunted by the...
    By Sarah J. Maas
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $2299
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships Tuesday
  • A Court of Wings and Ruin
    The third instalment of the GLOBAL PHENOMENON, romantic fantasy epic and TikTok sensation, ACOTAR. From multi-million and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas. In A Court of Wings and Ruin, the gripping third book of the ACOTAR series, Feyre Archeron faces the ultimate battle for her world. Having returned to the Spring Court, she is determined to gather...
    By Sarah J. Maas
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $2299
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships Tuesday
  • A Court of Thorns and Roses
    The first instalment of the GLOBAL PHENOMENON and TikTok sensation, from multi-million selling and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas. Maas has established herself as a fantasy fiction titan – Time Harry Potter magic, Taylor Swift sass, Fifty Shades-level athleticism – The Sunday Times With bits of Buffy, Game of Thrones and Outlander, this is a glorious series...
    By Sarah J. Maas
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $2299
    (3)
    In Stock
    Ships Tuesday
  • A Court of Silver Flames - Night Court Edition
    Limited Edition
    A Court of Silver Flames - Night Court Edition
    The magic and beauty of the Night Court is captured in these LIMITED EDITIONS of the Court of Thorns and Roses series! This Night Court Edition features the Night Court symbol on a striking black and silver foiled cover and includes black sprayed edges. The latest instalment of the GLOBAL PHENOMENON, romantic fantasy epic and TikTok sensation, ACOTAR. From multi-million...
    By Sarah J. Maas
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships Tuesday
  • A Court of Frost and Starlight - Night Court Edition
    Limited Edition
    A Court of Frost and Starlight - Night Court Edition
    The magic and beauty of the Night Court is captured in these LIMITED EDITIONS of the Court of Thorns and Roses series! This Night Court Edition features the Night Court symbol on a striking black and silver foiled cover and includes black sprayed edges. An unmissable companion tale to the GLOBAL PHENOMENON, romantic fantasy epic and TikTok sensation, ACOTAR. From...
    By Sarah J. Maas
    Paperback
    $2300
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships Tuesday
  • A Court of Frost and Starlight
    In A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas, readers are invited to revisit the enchanting world of Prythian in a heartwarming and introspective narrative. Set against the backdrop of the Winter Solstice, Feyre Archeron and her mate Rhysand return to centre stage as they strive to restore the Night Court after the devastating conflicts of A Court...
    By Sarah J. Maas
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $2299
    In Stock
    Ships Tuesday

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.

General Fiction lists from the team

Explore our curated lists from our heroes to find your next read!

The Latest at Book Hero

View all