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Bentons Conviction
In the aftermath of Gallipoli and in the shadow of the enduring war in Europe, Reverend David Benton preaches opposition to the war – and fights against conscription in the small town of Geradgery. It’s a dangerous position to take.
David Mathews, in Australian Book Review, wrote of the ‘because he concentrates on an aspect [of the war] which hitherto has not been fully explored, and sustains the work with deft prose, Page has succeeded in producing a novel of originality and consistent interest.’
First published in 1985, Benton’s Conviction was shortlisted for the National Book Council Award for Australian Literature.
Geoff Page is a poet, critic and novelist. Benton’s Conviction was his debut novel. His other works include Darker and Lighter (2001), winner of the Grace Leven Poetry Prize, and The Indigo Book of Modern Sonnets (2003), winner of the ACT Writing and Publishing Awards. He was awarded the Canberra Critics Circle Award in 2012 for Coda for Shirley (2011).
David Mathews, in Australian Book Review, wrote of the ‘because he concentrates on an aspect [of the war] which hitherto has not been fully explored, and sustains the work with deft prose, Page has succeeded in producing a novel of originality and consistent interest.’
First published in 1985, Benton’s Conviction was shortlisted for the National Book Council Award for Australian Literature.
Geoff Page is a poet, critic and novelist. Benton’s Conviction was his debut novel. His other works include Darker and Lighter (2001), winner of the Grace Leven Poetry Prize, and The Indigo Book of Modern Sonnets (2003), winner of the ACT Writing and Publishing Awards. He was awarded the Canberra Critics Circle Award in 2012 for Coda for Shirley (2011).
Hardcover
Published January 1, 1985
About the author
Geoff Page
56 booksGeoff Page has published twenty-four collections of poetry as well as two novels, five verse novels and several other works. His awards include the Grace Leven Prize, the Christopher Brennan Award, the Queensland Premier’s Prize for Poetry, the 2001 Patrick White Award and the 2017 ACU Prize for Poetry. His most recent books are Elegy for Emily: A Verse Biography of Emily Remler (Puncher & Wattmann, 2019) and In medias res (Pitt Street Poetry, 2019).
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 29, 2025
Benton’s Conviction was published in 1985 and shortlisted for the National Book Council Award for Australian Literature. The author, Geoff Page, is a poet and consequently his prose, particularly the descriptions of rural New South Wales, are breathtaking.
The novel covers the period of the first conscription campaign in 1916. The characterization is satisfactory and in the early stages, as David Benton wrestles with his conscience, compelling. He is the only character we get to know in real depth. The other anti-conscriptionists are an unimpressive and motley group, the conscriptionists small-minded, rigid and some downright nasty. And while this reflects something of the historical campaign, the novel fails to capture the absolute passion that was unleashed, on both sides, sometimes coming from individual grief and fear as well as from long held bigotries. The only character I warmed to was Benton’s wife, Amy, and I wish she had played a larger part in the novel or, perhaps, had been the central character. The novel appears to be based on commonly accepted half-truths about the conscription campaigns rather than the deep research that is currently expected with serious historical fiction. This novel is best read as a work of literary fiction rather than solid historical fiction.
The novel covers the period of the first conscription campaign in 1916. The characterization is satisfactory and in the early stages, as David Benton wrestles with his conscience, compelling. He is the only character we get to know in real depth. The other anti-conscriptionists are an unimpressive and motley group, the conscriptionists small-minded, rigid and some downright nasty. And while this reflects something of the historical campaign, the novel fails to capture the absolute passion that was unleashed, on both sides, sometimes coming from individual grief and fear as well as from long held bigotries. The only character I warmed to was Benton’s wife, Amy, and I wish she had played a larger part in the novel or, perhaps, had been the central character. The novel appears to be based on commonly accepted half-truths about the conscription campaigns rather than the deep research that is currently expected with serious historical fiction. This novel is best read as a work of literary fiction rather than solid historical fiction.
Displaying 1 of 1 review