The Man Who Loved Children

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The Man Who Loved Children
AuthorChristina Stead
LanguageEnglish
GenreNovel
Publication date
1940
Publication placeAustralia
Media typePrint (Hardback & Paperback)
ISBNNA Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character
The Man Who Loved Children. The cover of Stead's best-known novel, first published in 1940.

The Man Who Loved Children is a 1940 novel by Australian writer Christina Stead. Although the novel was published much earlier, it wasn't until it was reissued in 1965 that the book found widespread critical acclaim and popularity. Time magazine included the novel in its TIME 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005.[1]

Plot introduction

The novel tells the story of a highly dysfunctional family, the Pollits. The father, Sam, calls himself "Sam the Bold," but is in reality meek, sly and self-serving. While barely on speaking terms with his wife, Henny, he nevertheless enjoys the kind of fantasy life that in novels of a later day would be called narcissistic. The story centers on the family's impoverishment, Sam's failure to provide for them, the parents' battles, and the account of the children's affections and alliances. Unsparing and penetrating, Stead reveals, among other things, the danger of unchecked sentimentality in relationships and in political thought.

Reference