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'Henry Lawson is a revered cultural icon, but despite his literary success he descended into poverty and an early death. While many blamed his wife for his decline, Bertha Lawson alleged in April 1903 that Henry was habitually drunk and cruel, leading her to demand a judicial separation. In A Wife's Heart, Kerrie Davies provides a rare account of this tumultuous relationship from Bertha's perspective, in an era when women's rights were advancing considerably. Reproducing the Lawsons' letters - some of which have never been published - alongside her personal reflections, Davies explores the couple's courtship, marriage and eventual separation, as Bertha struggled to raise their two children as a single parent. A Wife's Heart offers an intimate portrait of the Lawsons' marriage, examined through a modern lens. It is an innovative, imaginative work of biography that reflects on the politics of relationships and the enduring complexities of love.' (Publication Summary)
Notes
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Dedication: For my daughter, Ruby.
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Epigraph: I did not realise then the restlessness which always filled Harry's heart and soul, a state which was entirely due to the blood that ran in his veins - wanderer's blood.
– Bertha Lawson, My Henry Lawson (1943)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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[Review] A Wife’s Heart : The Untold Story of Bertha and Henry Lawson
2018
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Journal of Biography and History , December no. 1 2018; (p. 201-203)
— Review of A Wife’s Heart : The Untold Story of Bertha and Henry Lawson 2017 single work biography -
Writers Writing about Writers and Writing
2017
single work
review
— Appears in: Inside Story , December 2017;
— Review of The Drover's Wife : A Celebration of a Great Australian Love Affair 2017 anthology short story criticism ; A Wife’s Heart : The Untold Story of Bertha and Henry Lawson 2017 single work biography ; The Drover's Wife 2016 single work drama ; Alice Pung on John Marsden 2017 single work essay ; Erik Jensen on Kate Jennings 2017 single work essay -
The Poet’s Better Half
2017
single work
essay
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 22 April 2017; (p. 19) 'How to approach a biography subject who is a national icon, whose work is canonical? Since his death, Henry Lawson has been a bone of contention for various biographers. The most recent interesting approaches have been to consider other aspects of the story, as with Brian Matthews’s Louisa (1987), about Lawson’s gifted and formidable mother. In two new books, Lawson is considered as part of a dual biography.' (Introduction) -
Random Thoughts: On Recent Biographies of Australian Women
2017
single work
essay
— Appears in: The Newtown Review of Books , May 2017; 'I love a good biography. During my career I was fortunate to publish two award-winners: Jill Roe’s Stella Miles Franklin and Nadia Wheatley’s The Life and Myth of Charmian Clift. Each was written by a trained historian, each involved a mountain of research, and each took over 20 years to write. They exemplify some of the difficulties of writing biography in Australia: to produce a work that is authoritative, carefully crafted and thoroughly researched takes a long time, and mostly publishers’ advances are modest and the writing has to be financed by other work.' (Introduction) -
From the Heart: Why Writers Are Putting Themselves in Nonfiction
2017
single work
essay
— Appears in: The Conversation , 20 April 2017;'History is a story about the past told by people who didn’t live there. Historical fiction and scholarly histories and biographies dominate the field, but a fresh approach, the literary nonfiction narrative of reflection, is making its presence felt.' (Introduction)
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Writers Writing about Writers and Writing
2017
single work
review
— Appears in: Inside Story , December 2017;
— Review of The Drover's Wife : A Celebration of a Great Australian Love Affair 2017 anthology short story criticism ; A Wife’s Heart : The Untold Story of Bertha and Henry Lawson 2017 single work biography ; The Drover's Wife 2016 single work drama ; Alice Pung on John Marsden 2017 single work essay ; Erik Jensen on Kate Jennings 2017 single work essay -
[Review] A Wife’s Heart : The Untold Story of Bertha and Henry Lawson
2018
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Journal of Biography and History , December no. 1 2018; (p. 201-203)
— Review of A Wife’s Heart : The Untold Story of Bertha and Henry Lawson 2017 single work biography -
From the Heart: Why Writers Are Putting Themselves in Nonfiction
2017
single work
essay
— Appears in: The Conversation , 20 April 2017;'History is a story about the past told by people who didn’t live there. Historical fiction and scholarly histories and biographies dominate the field, but a fresh approach, the literary nonfiction narrative of reflection, is making its presence felt.' (Introduction)
-
Random Thoughts: On Recent Biographies of Australian Women
2017
single work
essay
— Appears in: The Newtown Review of Books , May 2017; 'I love a good biography. During my career I was fortunate to publish two award-winners: Jill Roe’s Stella Miles Franklin and Nadia Wheatley’s The Life and Myth of Charmian Clift. Each was written by a trained historian, each involved a mountain of research, and each took over 20 years to write. They exemplify some of the difficulties of writing biography in Australia: to produce a work that is authoritative, carefully crafted and thoroughly researched takes a long time, and mostly publishers’ advances are modest and the writing has to be financed by other work.' (Introduction) -
The Poet’s Better Half
2017
single work
essay
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 22 April 2017; (p. 19) 'How to approach a biography subject who is a national icon, whose work is canonical? Since his death, Henry Lawson has been a bone of contention for various biographers. The most recent interesting approaches have been to consider other aspects of the story, as with Brian Matthews’s Louisa (1987), about Lawson’s gifted and formidable mother. In two new books, Lawson is considered as part of a dual biography.' (Introduction)
