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| The Solid Mandala | |
 First edition cover |
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| Author | Patrick White |
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| Cover artist | Desmond Digby |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Fiction |
| Publisher | Eyre & Spottiswoode |
| Publication date | 1966 |
| Media type | Print (Cloth) |
| Pages | 317 |
The Solid Mandala is the seventh published novel (1966) by the Australian novelist and 1973 Nobel Prize-winner, Patrick White. It tells the story of two brothers, Waldo and Arthur Brown, and the mutually-dependent and mutually-antagonistic relationship they share: Waldo is cold and supremely rational in his behaviour while Arthur is more warm-hearted and instinctual, so that together they represent what White saw as the two conflicting and complementary halves of human nature.[1] It is notable for being heavily tipped to win the 1967 Miles Franklin Award, the third of White's novels to be nominated for the prize, until White personally intervened and withdrew it from consideration so that other writers might stand a chance of winning.[2]
External links
- Excerpts from the novel at the ABC's "Why Bother With Patrick White?" archive.
- Synopsis and interpretation by Alan Lawson at the ABC's "Why Bother With Patrick White?" archive.
- Overview of the novel at ABC TV's First Tuesday Book Club website, including transcript of book group discussion.
- 1973 video interview with Patrick White in which he identifies The Solid Mandala as the best of the novels he had written up to that point.
References
