Editing Joseph Furphy (section)

==Legacy==

''Such is Life'' has been described as Australia's ''[[Moby-Dick|Moby Dick]]'' because, like [[Herman Melville|Melville's]] book, it was neglected for thirty or forty years before being discovered as a classic.<ref name=":3">{{cite book|last1=Serle|first1=Geoffrey|url=http://www.archive.org/details/fromdesertsproph0000serl|title=From Deserts the Prophets come; the creative spirit in Australia 1788-1972|date=1973|publisher=Heinemann|isbn=0855610298|location=Melbourne|page=66}}</ref> The novel contains possibly the first written incidence of the Australian and New Zealand idiom "ropeable". Chapter One contains the following phrase: "On't ole Martin be ropeable when he sees that fence!" The historian [[Stuart Macintyre|Stuart MacIntyre]] has said the book challenged the assumption that "nothing of significance ever happened" in Australia or that Australians lacked "creative originality".

A full biography of Furphy was written through a collaboration of Australian author [[Miles Franklin]] and Furphy's friend [[Kate Baker]], titled ''Joseph Furphy: The Legend of a Man and His Book'', in 1944.<ref name=ADB/>

To honour Furphy, in 1992 his and his brother's descendants established the Furphy Literary award.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" /> On the 100th anniversary of ''Such is Life'' they also funded a statue in Furphy's home town.<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Joseph Furphy {{!}} Monument Australia|url=https://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/people/arts/display/33403-joseph-furphy|access-date=29 June 2021|website=monumentaustralia.org.au}}</ref> The home which Furphy built in Swanbourne is now the headquarters of the West Australian branch of the [[Fellowship of Australian Writers]].

Furphy's popularity may have influenced the usage of the Australian slang word "[[furphy]]", meaning a "tall story". However, scholars consider it more likely that the word originated with water carts, produced in large numbers by J. Furphy & Sons, a company owned by Furphy's brother [[John Furphy|John]].<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite web|title=Furphy Literary Award|url=https://www.furphystory.com.au/furphy-literary-award/|access-date=29 June 2021|website=Furphy Story|language=en-US}}</ref>