If you are an Australian, particularly one of a certain age, chances are you studied some C. I did, and then, not having read him for decades, I reviewed for this blog his second major book, The moods of Ginger Mick , when it was republished by Sydney University Press. I surprised myself by enjoying it more than I expected.
And therein lies the rub. In many ways Dennis is dated. Yet he captivated me. Dennis , when Wakefield Press offered it to me. Dennis was not his character. First, though, a little about the man. He showed interest in writing and the arts in his childhood, and his first poem was published in the Critic when he was 21 years old. From then until his death in at the age of 61 he wrote constantly, producing a large body of work, of which his published books are just a small component.
Far better that you read the book. Rather, its style is traditional, plain academic reportage. Like most biographies, the book has a chronological structure, with the chapters falling rather naturally into neat chunks of his life. But if he represented a metamorphosis for the noble bushman, the transformation was not only of type and location. There was a shift in tone too.
The Bloke was not a mythologised hero like the Man from Snowy River; he was an object of gentle humour. He did not always treat them well in return.
He might have become more conservative as he aged, but he continued to astutely comment on society and culture. Here are a few lines:. Uniformity around them Serves further to confound them, Since it washes all the colour out of life. In other words, if your poetry is accessible it is not regarded as good. Hmmm β¦ I suspect this is still so today β and it may explain why many people prefer not to read poetry at all.
