Say No to Death (1951) is a novel by Australian writer Dymphna Cusack. It was originally published in Australia by Heinemann, and later in the US by William Morrow under the title The Sun in My Hands.[1]

Say No to Death
AuthorDymphna Cusack
LanguageEnglish
GenreFiction
PublisherHeinemann
Publication date
1951
Publication placeAustralia
Media typePrint
Pages324pp
Preceded byCome in Spinner 
Followed bySouthern Steel 

Story outline

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Set in Sydney following the war, the novel follows the medical journey of Jan, a young woman suffering from tuberculosis, and her struggles to gain any help from a Government health service struggling for funds.

Critical reception

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A reviewer in The Age was impressed by the novel: "'A novel built entirely around a social injustice is a rarity, but with competence and courage Dymphna Cusack, in Say No to Death, has presented the subject of the tuberculosis patient and, in a story of heroism, pathos and great sympathy, put the case for the sick civilian at the mercy of a Government — a Government and a people — who respond to the needs of the scourge of war so much more readily than to the scourge of illness...This is a book well worth reading, as much for the story as for the message it carries."[2]

A reviewer in The Mercury had a similar view: "In painting her characters all typically Australian - Miss Cusack has reached unusual literary heights. She shows a deep knowledge of the vagaries of human nature. The unexpected, courageous ending gives the final touch to a novel which must rank high in Australian literature."[3]

Publication history

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The novel was also translated into Russian (1961), Norwegian (1963), Lithuanian (1963), Romanian (1965), Hungarian (1968), Czech (1969), German (1970), and Georgian (1975).[9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Say No to Death by Dymphna Cusack". Austlit. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  2. ^ "Novels with Intent", The Age, 9 February 1952, p8
  3. ^ "An Australian Mimi" by Scribe, The Mercury, 5 January 1952, p15
  4. ^ "Say No to Death (Heinemann)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  5. ^ "Say No to Death (Seven Seas)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  6. ^ "Say No to Death (A&R 1967)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  7. ^ "Say No to Death (A&R 1974)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  8. ^ "Say No to Death (Cedric Chivers)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  9. ^ "Say No to Death". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 9 June 2023.