{"product_id":"2026100012583-secondhand-from-deserts-the-prophets-come-the-creative-spirit-in-australia-1788-1972","title":"From Deserts The Prophets Come: The Creative Spirit In Australia 1788-1972","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBook: Good\u003cbr\u003eJacket: No dust jacket\u003cbr\u003ePages: Yellowed\u003cbr\u003eMarkings: Previous owner\u003cbr\u003eCondition remarks: Condition as shown in image\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat does it mean to forge a culture from the ground up — in a land dismissed by the world as a vast, empty desert? Geoffrey Serle's landmark cultural history answers this question with compelling authority, chronicling the birth and evolution of Australia's creative spirit from the moment of European settlement in 1788 through to 1972. Spanning nearly two centuries, the work presents an ambitious and panoramic survey of Australian intellectual and artistic life, tracing the struggles and triumphs of writers, painters, scientists, musicians, and thinkers who dared to imagine a distinctly Australian civilisation against a backdrop of colonial indifference and geographic isolation.\n\nSerle argues with persuasive conviction that creativity did not merely survive in Australia — it flourished, shaped by the very harshness and remoteness of the continent itself. Drawing on a vast breadth of research, his prose is measured yet passionate, illuminating the deep tensions between cultural cringe and national pride that have long defined the Australian identity. From Deserts the Prophets Come stands as a foundational text in Australian cultural studies, essential reading for anyone seeking to understand how a nation finds its voice — and what it risks losing if it stops listening.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50948311810267,"sku":"2026100012583-SECONDHAND","price":15.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/1a9c17e9-ec68-445c-8901-6b28ee717f0f.png?v=1793104454","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026100012583-secondhand-from-deserts-the-prophets-come-the-creative-spirit-in-australia-1788-1972","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}