English Passengers - Tapa dura

Determined to prove the literal truth of the Bible, the Reverend Geoffrey Wilson sets out from England, in the summer of 1857, to find the Garden of Eden, convinced it lies on the island of Tasmania. Unknown to him, others in his party have very different agendas, notably the surgeon, Dr Potter, who is developing a sinister thesis on the races of men. To complicate matters further, the ship Wilson had hurriedly chartered is in fact an ill-starred smuggling vessel, crewed by a group of secretiveManxmen. Meanwhile, in Tasmania itself an Aborigine named Peevay recounts his people's struggle against the invading British, who prove as lethal in their good intentions as their cruelty... A stunningly original, unforgettable novel.

Matthew Kneale was born in 1960. He is the author of three critically acclaimed novels, including his most recent, SWEET THAMES (1992), which won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize. He lives in Oxford.