Don Randall's comprehensive study situates Malouf within the field of
contemporary international and postcolonial writing, but without losing
sight of the author's affiliation with Australian contexts. The book
presents an original reading of Malouf, finding the unity of his work in
the continuity of his ethical concerns: for Malouf, human lives find
their value in transformations, specifically in instances of
self-overcoming that encounters with difference or otherness provoke.
However, the book is fully aware of, and informed by, the quite ample
body of criticism on Malouf, and thus provides readers with a
broad-based understanding of how Malouf's works have been received and
assessed. It is an effective companion volume for studies in
postcolonial or Australian literature, for any study project in which
Malouf figures prominently.