His Illegal Self

 

                     
His Illegal Self

                                                ↑

                           CLICK TO VIEW COVER
Title
His Illegal Self
Author Peter Carey
Genre Literary Fiction
Format N/A

 

Book Description

His Illegal Self is a novel by Peter Carey that follows Che, a young boy who believes he is the son of a famous radical after his guardians abruptly abandon him. Taken in by strangers and carried from New York to rural Australia, Che is forced to navigate displacement, secrecy, and conflicting adult ideologies while trying to understand who he really is. Through the eyes of a child, the novel explores political idealism, parental responsibility, and the emotional cost of living on the margins of society.

About Author

Peter Carey is an Australian author widely regarded as one of the most significant literary figures of his generation. Born in 1943 in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, Carey began his career in advertising before turning to fiction, publishing short stories that quickly gained critical attention for their originality and experimental style. He rose to international prominence with novels that blend history, myth, and postmodern narrative techniques.

Carey is one of the few writers to have won the Booker Prize twice—first for Oscar and Lucinda (1988) and later for True History of the Kelly Gang (2001). His work frequently reimagines Australian history, interrogating themes of identity, colonialism, power, and storytelling itself. Known for his inventive language and bold narrative structures, Carey has written across novels, short fiction, and essays, and his influence extends well beyond Australia into the global literary canon.

  

Image by Crisco 1492 — CC BY-SA 4.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/