AustLit
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Contents
- `From Mudgee Hills to London Town' : A Critical Biography of Henry Lawson, single work criticism biography (p. 1-38)
- A Song of the Republici"Sons of the South, awake! arise!", single work poetry (p. 43)
- Faces in the Streeti"They lie, the men who tell us, for reasons of their own,", single work poetry (p. 44-46)
- Andy's Gone with Cattlei"Our Andy's gone with cattle now-", single work poetry (p. 47-48)
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His Father's Mate,
single work
short story
Tom Mason has lived a life full of misfortune and has lost all the people he loved. All he has left is his eleven-year-old son, to whom he is devoted.
- The Blue Mountainsi"Above the ashes straight and tall,", single work poetry (p. 60)
- The Roaring Daysi"The night too quickly passes,", single work poetry (p. 61-63)
- The Teamsi"A cloud of dust on the long, white road,", single work poetry (p. 64-65)
- Middleton's Rouseabouti"Tall and freckled and sandy,", single work poetry satire humour (p. 66)
- The Watch on the Kerbi"Night lights are falling;", single work poetry (p. 67)
- The Water Lily The Water-Liliesi"A lonely young wife", single work poetry (p. 68)
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Freedom on the Wallabyi"Australia's a big country",
single work
poetry
According to Colin Roderick, the poem was inspired by shearing disputes in Western Queensland and written for William Lane, at this time editor of the Brisbane Worker. Several versions of the poem exist.
- Ballad of Mabel Clare : An Australian Story to be Read and Sung Hereafteri"Ye children of the Land of Gold,", single work poetry humour (p. 71-74)
- The Captain of the Push : A Sydney Ballad of the "Gory Bleeders" [1892]i"As the night was falling slowly down on city, town and bush,", single work poetry humour (p. 75-77)
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A Visit of Condolence,
single work
short story
Bill Anderson, a rough-spoken larrikin, visits Jones's Alley to tell eleven-year-old Arvie Aspinall that he will lose his job if he doesn't turn up at work at Grinder Brothers. When he learns Arvie died the night before he shows another side to his character.
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A Day on a Selection,
single work
short story
Describes a typical day on a selection in western N. S. W.
-
The Drover's Wife,
single work
short story
First appearing in The Bulletin in 1892, Henry Lawson's short story 'The Drovers Wife' is today regarded as a seminal work in the Australian literary tradition. Noted for it's depiction of the bush as harsh, potentially threatening and both isolated and isolating, the story opens with a simple enough premise: an aggressive--and presumably deadly--snake disrupts the working life of a bushwoman and her young children. Brave but cautious, the woman resolves to protect her children since her husband is, characteristically, away from home and of no help.
As time passes within the story, tension builds, and the snake's symbolic threat takes on layers of meaning as the sleepless heroine recalls previous challenges she faced while her husband was away. A series of flashbacks and recollections propel the story through the single night over which it takes place, and by the time the climax arrives--the confrontation with the snake--readers have learned much about the heroine's strengths and fears, most of the latter involving the loss of children and dark figures who encroach upon her small, vulnerable homestead. To be sure, this "darkness" is highly symbolic, and Lawson's use of imagery invokes Western notions of good and evil as well as gendered and racial stereotypes.
- In Answer to "Banjo," and Otherwise The City Bushmani"It was pleasant up the country, City Bushman, where you went,", single work poetry humour (p. 91-94)
-
The Bush Undertaker,
single work
short story
An old shepherd discovers his mate, Brummy, dead and mummified in the bush. Saddened, he feels compelled to bury him.
-
In a Dry Season,
single work
short story
Lawson describes the scenes observed as a train traveller to western N.S.W.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
-
Lawson Scholars - the Sparks Fly
1983
single work
review
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 5 March 1983; (p. 21)
— Review of The Essential Henry Lawson : The Best Works of Australia's Greatest Writer 1982 selected work poetry short story criticism biography ; The Real Henry Lawson 1982 single work biography -
Untitled
1983
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , April no. 49 1983; (p. 34-35)
— Review of The Essential Henry Lawson : The Best Works of Australia's Greatest Writer 1982 selected work poetry short story criticism biography ; The Real Henry Lawson 1982 single work biography -
How the Manuscripts were Found
1982
single work
criticism
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 27 November 1982; (p. 31)
-
Untitled
1983
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , April no. 49 1983; (p. 34-35)
— Review of The Essential Henry Lawson : The Best Works of Australia's Greatest Writer 1982 selected work poetry short story criticism biography ; The Real Henry Lawson 1982 single work biography -
Lawson Scholars - the Sparks Fly
1983
single work
review
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 5 March 1983; (p. 21)
— Review of The Essential Henry Lawson : The Best Works of Australia's Greatest Writer 1982 selected work poetry short story criticism biography ; The Real Henry Lawson 1982 single work biography -
How the Manuscripts were Found
1982
single work
criticism
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 27 November 1982; (p. 31)