For the Term of His Natural Life

Another great novel that inhabits the intersection of literature and history, For the Term of His Natural Life (1870s) provides a vivid account of the brutality that abounded in the early colonial history of Australian penal colonies. The novel follows Rufus Dawes, and portrays his life as a convict after he is found guilty of a murder he did not commit and is transported to a penal colony in 1827.

The novel humanizes Dawes struggle to persevere with dignity and honor in an unfair system and documents the complex and intricate interactions between those that hold power the people who suffer under their dominion.