He Died with a Felafel in His Hand
| Author | John Birmingham |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Comedy, auto-Biographical novel |
| Publisher | The Yellow Press |
|
Publication date
|
1994 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback) |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 221745424 |
| Followed by | The Tasmanian Babes Fiasco |
He Died with a Felafel in His Hand is a non-fiction novel by Australian author John Birmingham, first published in 1994 by The Yellow Press (). The story consists of a collection of colourful anecdotes about living in share houses in Brisbane and other cities in Australia with variously dubious housemates. The title refers to a deceased heroin addict found in one such house. The book was subsequently adapted into a popular stage play and, in 2001, was made into a film by Richard Lowenstein, starring Noah Taylor, Emily Hamilton and Sophie Lee. A sequel, The Tasmanian Babes Fiasco, was published in 1998.
In 2004, to celebrate the book's ten-year anniversary, Birmingham approached comic artist Ryan Vella to produce a graphic novel of the book. The pair met in April of that year at Artspace Mackay, for the opening of the Headspace exhibition. The comic was published in September 2004 by Duffy & Snellgrove ().
While the book is not written in a linear fashion the order of houses (and house mates) John lives in is as follows:
1st Place - The Boulevade
Tom moved out and is replaced by
2nd Place
3rd Place - King Street
Taylor at the time was having personal issues. He ambushed his fellow housemates with a toy gun after hiding for an hour. He told them if it was a real gun they would all be dead. John saw this as good reason to move out
4th Place - Duke Street (Brisbane)
John moves out for reasons not made clear
5th Place - Melbourne
John moves out when her loud sex sessions became too much to bear
6th Place - Fitzroy
As a result of the fallout from this new relationship Greg moves out and John follows suit
7th Place - Carlton
After trying to freeze out the Daves from the house by cutting off the gas and electricity John gives in and moves to a loft in Fitzroy
8th Place - Fitzroy
After Wendell’s threats to kill him, John moves out and sleeps round friends
...
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