The Cockatoos: Shorter Novels and Stories

A collection of shorter fiction by the Nobel Prize–winning Australian novelist, this volume brings together novellas and stories that display Patrick White’s intense psychological insight and lyrical, often abrasive prose. Set largely in Australia, these works explore spiritual desolation, moral struggle, loneliness, and the uneasy textures of suburban and domestic life. Whether portraying strained marriages, aging and disillusion, or sudden moments of revelation, White probes the inner lives of his characters with unflinching honesty and dark wit. His style can be demanding but richly rewarding, offering readers a powerful distillation of the themes—identity, faith, isolation, and the search for meaning—that run throughout his celebrated body of work.