The Floating World

John Romeril, Currency Press. Condition remarks: Condition: Good. Jacket: N/A (paperback). Page Condition: Good. Markings: No visible markings. Binding: Appears intact. No stickers or labels visible. The Floating World is a landmark Australian play that confronts the psychological wounds left by the Second World War through the story of Les Harding, a traumatised Australian veteran who boards a cruise ship to Japan with his wife. As the vessel draws closer to the former enemy's shores, Les's fragile mental state unravels in a darkly comic and deeply unsettling spiral of memory, rage, and delusion. John Romeril crafts a searing indictment of unresolved national trauma, using Les's breakdown as a prism through which Australia's postwar identity and its complicated relationship with Japan are laid bare. This edition includes notes on the Yellow Peril sentiment and commentary from Allan Ashbolt, Katharine Brisbane, and the Official History of Australia in the Second World War, enriching the play's historical and political context. A cornerstone of Australian theatre, the work remains one of the most powerful dramatic meditations on war, memory, and the human cost of hatred.…