Hoax Nation: Australian Fakes and Frauds from Plato to Norma Khouri is a refreshingly different look at the variety of hoaxes perpetrated throughout the annals of Australian history. Rather than recount our colourful history through the usual method of what we have deem truth, Simon Caterson takes a look at the events, publications, and cultural ephemera that were discovered to be elaborate hoaxes. As the subtitle suggests, the history of Australia has always been marked by misunderstandings and falsified accounts, and Caterson relishes in reviving these historical deceptions. A selection of quotations from everyone from Marcel Proust to Matt Damon on the art of the lie or the fallibility of truth adds an extra dimension to the work.

What I appreciated about Hoax Nation was the breadth of topics covered, however the limitations of space in Arcade’s signature small sized books meant that some foundational information was left out, leaving this particularly ignorant reader to seek out more about the Ern Malley affair and Bodyline scandal in order to better understand the hoaxed material related to them. Nonetheless, Hoax Nation works as a brilliant starting point for the reverse side of the official Australian history. Covering the famous literary hoaxes of Norma Khouri and Helen Demidenko which played to cultural perceptions and caused debate about the accountability of publishers, it seems that for every hoax that was executed for fame, fortune and glory, there were many that worked on a multitude of levels.

It certainly seems as though hoaxes originate in response to a demand, or are created to fill a perceived gap in culture (in the 1980s and 90s there’s little doubt the advent of multiculturalism coincided with a proliferation of ethnic and indigenous identity frauds in the arts, especially literature – impostors, in particular, flourish when we regard the background and identity of the singer as being as important as the song). And in the heat of the battle, whether the conflict is over politics, culture, history, science or religion, truth is often the first casualty and hoaxes can appear on any side.

While many of the hoaxes seem to have been carried out for the sheer joy of mischief, many including the curious case of George Barrington, appear to have been committed for more politically motivated reasons. A pickpocket sent to the convict colony of Australia in the late 18th century, a number of best-selling books telling of the imagined life in the new colony were published under Barrington’s name. Known as something of a celebrity criminal in England, the move to Australia saw Barrington eventually become a police superintendent, and supposedly, halt a potential mutiny on the journey over. Largely plagiarized from other sources – and yet still quoted today as legitimate historical sources! – there is little to suggest that Barrington actually wrote the stories. Nonetheless, the books not only whet the appetite for tales from Australia and narratives of convict life, but also as proof, as it were, that criminal reformation in the antipodes was a successful endeavour.

Hoax Nation: Australian Fakes and Frauds from Plato to Norma Khouri features a wide array of hoaxes – from art, literature, fauna, landscape, and Australian legends – bursting with fascination and a salute to the numerous bullshit artists who have peppered our history with intrigue and humour. Not always merely for the fun of deception, many of these hoaxes force us to ask important questions about identity, about authenticity and about our preconceived cultural perceptions.

[Disclaimer: publisher supplied copy, with thanks to the team at Arcade Publications. For my reviews of other Arcade titles, please see: Madame Brussels: This Moral Pandemonium, E.W. Cole: Chasing the Rainbow and Our Girls: Aussie Pin-Ups of the 40s and 50s.]