HYBRIDITY AND THE PLEASURES OF DISINHERITANCE: THE NOVELS OF BRIAN CASTRO
This article examines the literary output of Brian Castro, one of Australia’s most prominent contemporary novelists, within the context of his multifaceted cultural heritage. Born on a ferry between Macao and Hong Kong to parents of Portuguese, Chinese, and English descent, Castro’s work is deeply i...
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| Published in: | Review of Culture |
|---|---|
| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Articles |
| Published: |
Instituto Cultural de Macau
October 2003
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40008/3883 |
| _version_ | 1877196271353069568 |
|---|---|
| author | David Brookshaw |
| author_autocomplete | David Brookshaw |
| author_browse | David Brookshaw |
| author_facet | David Brookshaw David Brookshaw |
| author_sort | David Brookshaw |
| container_title | Review of Culture |
| container_title_str | Review of Culture |
| container_volume | 8 |
| container_volume_str | 8 |
| description | This article examines the literary output of Brian Castro, one of Australia’s most prominent contemporary novelists, within the context of his multifaceted cultural heritage. Born on a ferry between Macao and Hong Kong to parents of Portuguese, Chinese, and English descent, Castro’s work is deeply informed by themes of hybridity, dislocation, and the "third space." Brookshaw argues that Castro’s preoccupation with "disinheritance" is not a source of loss but a liberating catalyst for creative reinvention. Drawing parallels between Castro and the Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa, the study explores how the author subverts essentialist labels and traditional notions of Australian national identity. Central to this analysis is the metaphor of "African chicken"—a Luso-tropical pastiche that embodies the "Creolising of forgetting and memory." By examining the intersection of autobiography, history, and fiction, the article demonstrates how Castro utilizes the power of imagination to fill the gaps of a fragmented past. Ultimately, Brookshaw posits that Castro’s novels offer a transformative vision of multiculturalism, where the lack of a fixed inheritance allows for the active and autonomous construction of individual identity through storytelling. |
| first_indexed | 2026-09-11T02:56:52Z |
| format | Articles |
| genre | Articles |
| genre_facet | Articles |
| hierarchy_browse | Review of Culture{{{_ID_}}}zotero-coll-76L3BRGH |
| hierarchy_parent_id | zotero-coll-76L3BRGH |
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| issn | 1682-1106 |
| last_indexed | 2026-09-11T02:56:52Z |
| latest_content_date | 2026-09-11T02:56:52Z |
| publishDate | October 2003 |
| publishDateRange | 2003 |
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| publishPlace | Macau |
| publisher | Instituto Cultural de Macau |
| publisherStr | Instituto Cultural de Macau |
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| spelling | HYBRIDITY AND THE PLEASURES OF DISINHERITANCE: THE NOVELS OF BRIAN CASTRO This article examines the literary output of Brian Castro, one of Australia’s most prominent contemporary novelists, within the context of his multifaceted cultural heritage. Born on a ferry between Macao and Hong Kong to parents of Portuguese, Chinese, and English descent, Castro’s work is deeply informed by themes of hybridity, dislocation, and the "third space." Brookshaw argues that Castro’s preoccupation with "disinheritance" is not a source of loss but a liberating catalyst for creative reinvention. Drawing parallels between Castro and the Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa, the study explores how the author subverts essentialist labels and traditional notions of Australian national identity. Central to this analysis is the metaphor of "African chicken"—a Luso-tropical pastiche that embodies the "Creolising of forgetting and memory." By examining the intersection of autobiography, history, and fiction, the article demonstrates how Castro utilizes the power of imagination to fill the gaps of a fragmented past. Ultimately, Brookshaw posits that Castro’s novels offer a transformative vision of multiculturalism, where the lack of a fixed inheritance allows for the active and autonomous construction of individual identity through storytelling. Instituto Cultural de Macau Macau Review of Culture Articles October 2003 David Brookshaw |
| spellingShingle | HYBRIDITY AND THE PLEASURES OF DISINHERITANCE: THE NOVELS OF BRIAN CASTRO David Brookshaw |
| title | HYBRIDITY AND THE PLEASURES OF DISINHERITANCE: THE NOVELS OF BRIAN CASTRO |
| title_autocomplete | HYBRIDITY AND THE PLEASURES OF DISINHERITANCE: THE NOVELS OF BRIAN CASTRO |
| title_full | HYBRIDITY AND THE PLEASURES OF DISINHERITANCE: THE NOVELS OF BRIAN CASTRO |
| title_fullStr | HYBRIDITY AND THE PLEASURES OF DISINHERITANCE: THE NOVELS OF BRIAN CASTRO |
| title_full_unstemmed | HYBRIDITY AND THE PLEASURES OF DISINHERITANCE: THE NOVELS OF BRIAN CASTRO |
| title_short | HYBRIDITY AND THE PLEASURES OF DISINHERITANCE: THE NOVELS OF BRIAN CASTRO |
| title_sort | hybridity and the pleasures of disinheritance: the novels of brian castro |
| url | https://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/pdfViewerParts/40008/3883 |
| zotero_collection_key | 76L3BRGH |