Much of Carey's work reflects upon what it means to be Australian, whether in the present day as in Bliss (1981), Illywhacker (1985), and The Tax Inspector (1991), or in the past. Both Illywhacker (the word is Australian slang for a charlatan) and The Tax Inspector are concerned with deception and forgery (interestingly, both texts feature used car salesmen), themes that are important to Carey and his quest for an "authentic" Australian cultural identity that does not simply imitate Britishness. Several of Carey's works, including his collection of short stories The Fat Man in History (1974) and The Unusual Life of Tristan Smith (1994), are set in imaginary societies that are identifiable as Australia. This technique is employed as a means of critiquing both contemporary Australia and, what is for Carey, the nation's troubled relationship with.....
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