Abstract
This paper investigates the author's writing processes during the research and
creation of the fictional character of Chella Singh-Jolley. The author's novel
Provenance is set in 1960; one of its principal characters is Chella, a Sikh
biochemistry student in Australia on a Colombo Plan scholarship. The paper
discusses the challenges in writing a character so ostensibly 'other' to the author;
and how these dilemmas were turned to creative use. The paper outlines the history
of Indian immigration to Australia, and briefly the role of the Colombo Plan for
Economic Development, situating Chella within this history. An extract from
Chapter One of the novel is included: the opening story of the novel's protagonist,
an Italian-Australian girl, Rafaela Mollino.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 45-56 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | New writing : The International journal for the practice and theory of creative writing |
| Volume | 1 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 2004 |
Bibliographical note
Copyright is attributed to the author. This copy is archived with the agreement of the author. Permission to republish or reproduce this version for any other reasons should be sought from the author.Keywords
- fiction
- creative writing
- Australia
- postcolonial
- Sikh
- culture