Pagan — Inez Baranay

Based on a true story, set in Sydney in the 1950s, Pagan is a story of the new music, the new migrations and the old magick. First published in 1990, it was described as brilliantly written and a narrative tour-de-force. To quote a review: As well as being very readable, it offers a highly intelligent analysis of the themes of Australia's 20th century cultural history set around a story that was to grab the imagination - and the tabloids - of the country. Baranay has a great sense of character, an acute mind which ranges through art, music, philosophy, politics and literature, and a profound and insightful comprehension of the dynamics of human behaviour. She also has a savage and urbane wit and a rare ability to evoke human tragedy in the most understated of ways.