The Nargun and The Stars
Encyclopedia
The Nargun and The Stars is a children's fantasy novel
set in Australia
, written by Patricia Wrightson
. It was among the first Australian books for children to draw on Australian Aboriginal mythology
. The book was the winner of the 1974 Children's Book Council of Australia
Book of the Year Award, and Patricia Wrightson was awarded an Order of the British Empire
in 1977, largely for this work.
The story was adapted for television and screened as a mini-series in Australian in 1980.
ed city boy named Simon Brent who comes to live on a 5000 acre sheep station
called Wongadilla, in the Hunter Valley
, with his mother's second cousins, Edie and Charlie. In a remote valley on the property he discovers a variety of ancient Australian Dreamtime
creatures. The arrival of heavy machinery intent on clearing the land
brings to life the the ominous stone Nargun
. The Nargun is a creature drawn from tribal legends of the Gunai or Kurnai
people of the area now known as the Mitchell River National Park
in Victoria
. Other creatures featured in the story include the mischievous green-scaled water-spirit — Potkoorok, the Turongs (tree people) and the Nyols (cave people).
Non-English editions of The Nargun and the Stars:
in 1980 by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
, the screenplay adapted by Margaret Kelly. The producer was Lynn Bayonas
.
Fantasy literature
Fantasy literature is fantasy in written form. Historically speaking, literature has composed the majority of fantasy works. Since the 1950s however, a growing segment of the fantasy genre has taken the form of films, television programs, graphic novels, video games, music, painting, and other...
set in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, written by Patricia Wrightson
Patricia Wrightson
Patricia Wrightson was an Australian author who wrote a number of highly regarded and influential children's books. Her reputation came to rest largely on her magic realist titles. Her books, including the widely praised The Nargun and The Stars , were among the first Australian books for children...
. It was among the first Australian books for children to draw on Australian Aboriginal mythology
Australian Aboriginal mythology
Australian Aboriginal myths are the stories traditionally performed by Aboriginal peoples within each of the language groups across Australia....
. The book was the winner of the 1974 Children's Book Council of Australia
Children's Book Council of Australia
The Children's Book Council of Australia is a not for profit organisation which aims to engage the community with literature for young Australians. The CBCA presents annual awards for books of literary merit, for outstanding contribution to Australian children's literature.-Awards:The first...
Book of the Year Award, and Patricia Wrightson was awarded an Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1977, largely for this work.
The story was adapted for television and screened as a mini-series in Australian in 1980.
Plot
The story is set in Australia, and involves an orphanOrphan
An orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...
ed city boy named Simon Brent who comes to live on a 5000 acre sheep station
Sheep station
A sheep station is a large property in Australia or New Zealand whose main activity is the raising of sheep for their wool and meat. In Australia, sheep stations are usually in the south-east or south-west of the country. In New Zealand the Merinos are usually in the high country of the South...
called Wongadilla, in the Hunter Valley
Hunter Valley
The Hunter Region, more commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney with an approximate population of 645,395 people. Most of the population of the Hunter Region lives within of the coast, with 55% of the entire...
, with his mother's second cousins, Edie and Charlie. In a remote valley on the property he discovers a variety of ancient Australian Dreamtime
Dreamtime
In the animist framework of Australian Aboriginal mythology, The Dreaming is a sacred era in which ancestral Totemic Spirit Beings formed The Creation.-The Dreaming of the Aboriginal times:...
creatures. The arrival of heavy machinery intent on clearing the land
Land clearing in Australia
Land clearing in Australia describes the removal of native vegetation and deforestation and in Australia. Land clearing involves the removal of native vegetation and habitats, including the bulldozing of native bushlands, forests, savannah, woodlands and native grasslands and the draining of...
brings to life the the ominous stone Nargun
Nargun
According to Gunai/Kurnai tribal legends, the Nargun is a fierce half-human half-stone female creature that lived in the Den of Nargun, a cave under a rock overhang behind a small waterfall in the Mitchell River National Park, Victoria, Australia. Aboriginal legend describes the Nargun as a beast...
. The Nargun is a creature drawn from tribal legends of the Gunai or Kurnai
Gunai
The Gunai or Kurnai is an Indigenous Australian nation of south-east Australia whose territory occupied most of present-day Gippsland and much of the southern slopes of the Victorian Alps. The nation was not on friendly terms with the neighbouring Wurundjeri and Bunurong nations...
people of the area now known as the Mitchell River National Park
Mitchell River National Park
The Mitchell River National Park is a national park in Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. It is approximately 300 km east of Melbourne by the most direct road route, and about 40 km north of Bairnsdale.-Mitchell River:...
in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
. Other creatures featured in the story include the mischievous green-scaled water-spirit — Potkoorok, the Turongs (tree people) and the Nyols (cave people).
Editions
English editions of The Nargun and the Stars by P. Wrightson:- 1973 by HutchinsonHutchinson- United States :* Hutchinson, Kansas* South Hutchinson, Kansas* Hutchinson, Minnesota* Hutchinson County, South Dakota* Hutchinson County, Texas* Hutchinson Island * Hutchinson Island South, Florida* Hutchinson River, a river in New York...
(London and Sydney). ISBN 0091176905 - 1974 by Atheneum BooksAtheneum BooksAtheneum Books was a publishing house and adult publisher created by Alfred A. Knopf, Jr. in 1959. He recruited editor Jean E. Karl personally, to come and establish a Children's Book Department in 1961....
(New York). ISBN 0689304323 - 1975 by Puffin BooksPuffin BooksPuffin Books is the children's imprint of British publishers Penguin Books. Since the 1960s it has been the largest publisher of children's books in the UK and much of the English-speaking world.-Early history:...
, illustrated. ISBN 9780140307801 - 1973 by Puffin BooksPuffin BooksPuffin Books is the children's imprint of British publishers Penguin Books. Since the 1960s it has been the largest publisher of children's books in the UK and much of the English-speaking world.-Early history:...
(Penguin BooksPenguin BooksPenguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
). ISBN 014030780X - 1973 by HutchinsonHutchinson- United States :* Hutchinson, Kansas* South Hutchinson, Kansas* Hutchinson, Minnesota* Hutchinson County, South Dakota* Hutchinson County, Texas* Hutchinson Island * Hutchinson Island South, Florida* Hutchinson River, a river in New York...
(London) ISBN 0091176905 - 1986 by M. K. McElderry Books (New York). ISBN 0689504039
- 1988 by HutchinsonHutchinson- United States :* Hutchinson, Kansas* South Hutchinson, Kansas* Hutchinson, Minnesota* Hutchinson County, South Dakota* Hutchinson County, Texas* Hutchinson Island * Hutchinson Island South, Florida* Hutchinson River, a river in New York...
(Australia), illustrated by Robert IngpenRobert IngpenRobert Roger Ingpen is an Australian graphic designer, illustrator, and author.-Early life:Ingpen was born in Geelong Australia and attended Geelong College to 1957...
. ISBN 0091574404 - 2001 by Bt Bound. ISBN 9780833518576
- 2008 by University of Queensland PressUniversity of Queensland PressEstablished in 1948, University of Queensland Press is a dynamic publishing house known for its innovative philosophy and commitment to producing books of high quality and cultural significance...
. ISBN 9780702236839 - 2009 by Phoenix Education, illustrated. ISBN 9781921085970
- 2009 by Catnip. ISBN 9781846470769
Non-English editions of The Nargun and the Stars:
- (Afrikaans) Die Nargan en die sterre, published by Kaapstad : Human & Rousseau : World International, 1990 ISBN 9780798127585
- (Finnish) Nargun ja tähdet, published by Hki : Tammi, 1988 ISBN 9789513070373
- (German) Das Nargun und die Sterne, published by Friedrich Oetinger, Hamburg. 1990 ISBN 978-3-7891-5101-9
- (Japanese) 星に叫ぶ岩ナルガン / (Hoshi ni sakebu iwa narugan), published by 評論社, Hyōronsha, Shōwa 57 (Tokyo) 1982 ISBN 9784566011571
- (Slovenian) Simon in kamniti tujec, published by Mladinska knjiga, Ljubljana, 1979 OLCL 440381039
- (Spanish) El Nargun y las estrellas, published by Ediciones Alfaguara, Madrid, 1987 ISBN 9788420445694
- (Swedish) Nargonen och stjärnorna, published by Berghs Förlag, Malmö 1980 ISBN 9789150205695
Television mini-series
The story was made into a mini-series for televisionTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
in 1980 by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
, the screenplay adapted by Margaret Kelly. The producer was Lynn Bayonas
Lynn Bayonas
Lynn Bayonas was an Australian television producer and writer. Her sister is Neighbours executive producer Susan Bower.-Personal life:...
.
Cast
The cast of the television series included:- Rodney Bell as Simon Brent
- Noel Brophy as voice of Potkoorok
- Peter Gwynne as Charlie
- Marianne Howard
- Melissa JafferMelissa JafferMelissa Jaffer is an Australian actress who has made many appearances in television series, including Kings, Mother and Son, G. P., Brides of Christ, Grass Roots and All Saints...
as Cousin Edie - Noel Trevarthen