The Acolyte | The Acolyte

At a glance:

Author: Thea Astley
First Published: 1972
Type of Work: Allegory
Time of Work: The early 1950’s to the late 1960’s
Setting: Northern Queensland and the coastal area near Surfers Paradise in Southern Queensland (Australia)
Principal Characters: Jack Holberg, Paul Vesper, Sadie, Jamie, Hilda, Ilse
Genres: Long fiction, Satire
Subjects: 1950’s, Culture, 1960’s, Music or musicians, Blindness or blind persons, Social issues, Religion, Genius, Creative process, Composers, Australia or Australians
Locales: Australia

The Novel

Told in the first person by “the acolyte,” Paul Vesper, Thea Astley’s novel traces the career of a fictional Australian musician and composer named Jack Holberg. Beginning in obscurity as a piano player in Grogbusters, a dreary little Queensland town, the blind Holberg eventually gains international recognition as a composer. Vesper, who had met Holberg during his less renowned period, gives up an engineering career to serve the great man—in a sense, to become his eyes.

After Holberg spends several years studying in Europe and making a name for himself,...

The Acolyte | The Acolyte

At a glance:

The Novel

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