UNPOLISHED GEM

Book ID/图书代码： 01899506B07957

English Summary/英文概要： UNPOLISHED GEM tells the story of growing up with a Chinese-Cambodian family in Australia, but it is not a story filled with Wild Swans or Falling Leaves. "This story does not begin on a boat," are the opening lines of the book, and so begins the quintessentially Australian setting of the story in Footscray Market, "a market filled with fat pigs and thin people." Armed with an ocker accent, Alice dives headfirst into schooling, romance and the getting of wisdom. Meanwhile, her mother becomes an Aussie Battler - an outworker, that is, her father starts up a chain of electrical appliance stores, and her grandmother blesses Father Government every day for giving old people money.
Although Alice is currently practicing as a solicitor, she has worked extensively with both primary and secondary school students - as an art instructor, independent school teacher, and student mentor. Alice is also the Writer in Residence and pastoral care adviser at Janet Clarke Hall, the University of Melbourne.
Alice has a deep passion and empathy for youth issues, and believes in the power of good humour (and not-so-good puns) to help surmount adversity. Alice has also appeared on radio with Richard Stubbs, John Safran and Father Bob Maguire in Sunday Nights with Safran, and Ramona Koval’s Book Show.
Alice Pung’s first novel, UNPOLISHED GEM (published by Black Inc.) became the bestselling book at the Melbourne Writer’s Festival, and reached the top ten books in the Sydney Morning Herald’s independent bestseller list.
Alice is a writer and lawyer. She was born in Footscray, and grew up in Braybrook, attending local primary and secondary schools in the Western suburbs, including Tottenham North Primary School, Footscray Girls Secondary College, Christ the King College Braybrook, and Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School.
She has had her short stories published in The Good Weekend, MEANJIN and The Other Side. In 2002 her story UNPOLISHED GEM was nominated for a Premier’s Literary Award, and in 2005 her story WORDS won The Other Side prose competition.

Chinese Summary/中文概要： Unpolished Gem (璞玉) 自去年九月發行以來, 備受時代日報 (The Age) 大力推介, 多次節錄精彩片段以饗讀者, 更獲列入本年度第卅四屆暢銷書候選名冊. 作者Alice Pung於上月獲授予澳洲書業新秀獎, 為五位作品最具地方色彩的本土作家之一.
Alice 出生於墨爾本, 雙親為柬埔寨坡朴暴政殺戮場倖存者, 輾轉逃往越南經泰國後抵達澳洲。她承襲祖母善於說故事的天份, 十二歲開始寫日記, 本欲以小說虛構形式構思璞玉, 創作過程中卻發覺兒時軼事，情真意切，豐富無比，毋庸杜撰，遂以其純真爛漫，風趣卻不時潛藏善意自我嘲諷的筆觸，費時三載半工餘時間，完成這部描述八十年代印支難民初到新環境時，為求適應及融入主流社會生活環境,，在東西文化和道德觀念鴻溝之間掙扎求生存，同時經歷死亡, 失敗及挫折但又瀰漫著笑聲淚影的回憶錄。
作者心思細膩, 想像力豐富, 落筆尖銳, 將墨市西區勞動階層, 當年難民聚居地之一的福士葵(Footscray)民情世態活現於紙上 – 蔬果市場內，顧客在決定購買前會將芒果亂捏亂戳, 整個橘子鮮剝活吞以證甘甜; 漫步街頭不用再提防埋藏炸藥鐵罐, 身為人母者卻授意孩童將口香糖隨街亂吐, 以免吞下堵塞咽喉窒息. 初抵澳境, 家人身上穿的是保祿華麗服飾 (教會救濟衣物), 住的是移民接待所; 一家人彷若大鄉巴入城, 目睹斑馬線行人按鈕, 百貨商店自動電梯, 偌大的超級市場清潔整齊, 食物堆砌如山, 均引來大夥嘩聲讚嘆, 其母更錯把罐裝狗兒食物當作罐頭食品烹煮…。璞玉出自難民後裔手筆, 從另一角度切入觀察融入新環境的的心路歷程。

Awards/获奖情况：澳洲暢銷作者，澳大利亚畅销40000册
澳洲新秀獎得主
費時三年半完成第一部小說
版权已售：US to Penguin and UK to Portobello Books

About the Author/作者介绍：

Format:TRADE PAPERBACK

Rights Status/版权销售情况：Simplified Chinese/简体中文：AVAILABLE

Complex/Traditional Chinese/繁体中文：AVAILABLE

Sales in other countries/其他国家销售情况：

原文第一章内容：暂无

手稿：暂无

大纲：暂无