See an Exract
The Lion in Love
Kevin Brophy
The Lion in Love
The Lion in Love
Kevin Brophy
Publication 8 October 2022
176pp Paperback book with dust jacket
‘This is what literature should be: rich, subtle, intelligent, full of the magic and mystery of the world and of the human heart. I will return to this collection again and again. Kevin Brophy is a master at the height of his powers.’
— Emily Bitto
‘Brophy’s stories are like precise, meticulous fables, full of characters holding on to small, hard-won truths. The stories are Chekhovian in their quiet empathy, which frequently leaves the reader with an enigmatic final image that shifts the aperture, giving us a poignant glimpse of something ineffable. I loved reading The Lion in Love.’
— Cate Kennedy
‘There’s such a range in Brophy’s writing—he can move easily between tender and compassionate grace notes, and dark, troubled worlds, not to mention lightening dashes of humour (overt and sly). But through it all, you’re perpetually aware of an intense, intelligent, minutely observing eye fascinated by the consciousness of the people he’s creating, and allowing us inside... At the end of reading, I simply felt uplifted.’
— John Clanchy
The Lion in Love Reviewed
‘The Lion in Love is full of characters who engage us with their quiet sincerity. Whether they know it or not, they offer us wisdoms that are worth heeding, because they are like us.’
—Whispering Gums
'Brophy is a master of scene-setting and description. He creates characters and relationships that are so ordinary that you can easily see yourself in them. However there are always other layers of universal truths that are skilfully woven into the story and make you want to reread, afraid that you might have missed a telling detail that will expose a whole new, unexpected perspective.'
—Read Plus
‘The Lion in Love leaves much to contemplate about people, the world and individual experiences, and the experience of reading it and the emotions it evokes is something I will return to regularly... Brophy’s sensitive but purposeful style of expression lends each story a poeticism that...lets one narrative flow into the next.'
—Westerly Magazine
About the Author — Kevin Brophy
Photo by Nicholas Walton-Healey
Kevin Brophy has worked as a carer for the aged and disabled, as a child psychologist, a roof tiler, cleaner, and a concrete labourer. After teaching developmental psychology for ten years at technical colleges, he lectured in creative writing for nearly twenty years at the University of Melbourne, where he is Emeritus Professor. As a writer he has chronicled urban Melbourne, especially the street life of his heartland, Brunswick.
He is a past winner of the Calibre Essay Prize, the Michel Wright Prize for poetry, and his fiction has been shortlisted for the Vogel Prize and the FAW Christina Stead award. He has been patron of the Melbourne Poets Union since 2004. In 2021 he was awarded an Order of Australia for services to creative writing. The Lion in Love is his second collection of short fiction.
Interview with the Author
Interview with the Author
Julian Davies, publisher at Finlay Lloyd and editor of The Lion in Love, interviews Kevin Brophy about his work.
After a sneak peak into this short story collection?
We've made the first story of Kevin Brophy's collection available to download as an extract.
New Publication Offer
New Publication Offer
We are offering a new release discount for The Lion in Love.
Each copy you purchase will receive a $4 discount.
This offer will last for a limited time and applies to any number of copies you purchase.
Use the coupon code NEWPUB4 at checkout.
Use the coupon code NEWPUB4 at checkout.
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