Page 41 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Australia

A POR TR AIT OF A USTR ALIA  39

The Eye of the Storm. Henry Lawson similarly wrote
Two­time Booker some enduring bush verse,
Prize­winner Peter but his poetry also had a
Carey (born in 1943) more political edge. His first
celebrated Australia’s published poem in the
most famous bush­ Bulletin literary magazine in
ranger in The True 1887 was the rallying “Song
History of the Kelly of the Republic”. One of
Gang (2000). Australia’s leading poets,
Louisa Lawson (1848– Les Murray (1938–), is known
1920), is credited with as the “bush bard” for his
Australia’s first feminist writing on bush life.
journal, Dawn, written Poets such as Judith Wright
between 1888 and (1915–2000) and Oodgeroo
1905. At the same time, Noonuccal (1920–93), have
another feminist, Miles powerfully expressed the
Franklin (1879–1954), anguish of Aboriginal people.
Portrait of Miles Franklin by Marie McNiven defied traditional
women’s roles of
Writers the time by pursuing an
independent life in Australia,
Much of Australian fiction is England and the USA. Her life
concerned with the difficulties was documented in several
Europeans experienced in a autobiographies.
harsh land, or the relationship For descriptions of pre­ and
between white settlers and postwar Sydney life in the slums,
Aborigines. The themes can the novels of Ruth Park (born in
be traced back to an early 1922), such as Harp in the South
Australian novelist, Henry (1948) and Fence around the
Handel Richardson, the pseudo­ Cuckoo (1992), are unbeatable.
nym of Ethel Richardson (1870– Novelist Thomas Keneally (born
1946). Her trilogy, The Fortunes in 1935) won the 1982 Booker
of Richard Mahoney (1929), was ichard Mahoney (1929), was ichard Mahoney
of R
of R Prize with Schindler’s Ark.
published to great acclaim. Tim Winton (born 1960) draws
Contemporary novelist David inspiration from the Australian
Malouf (born in 1934) explores landscape in lauded novels such Henry Lawson
these issues in Remembering as Cloudstreet andCloudstreet andCloudstreet Breath.
Babylon (1993), winner of the Aboriginal writer Sally Playwrights
Prix Baudelaire, and Conversa­ Morgan (born 1951) put
tions at C
tions at Curlow Creek (1996).urlow Creek (1996).urlow Creek
tions at C indigenous Australian writing Australia’s most prolific
One of Australia’s most on the map with her 1988 contemporary playwright is
celebrated novelists is Patrick autobiography My Place. David Williamson, born in 1942.
White (1912–90), who won Writer and journalist Richard A satirist exploring middle­class
the Nobel Prize in 1973 with Flanagan (born 1961), from life and values, Williamson has
Tasmania, won the 2014 Booker been an international success
Prize for The Narrow Road to the and several of his plays, such
Deep North. as Dead White Males (1995),
have been performed both
in London and New York.
Poets Ray Lawler gained renown
in 1955 with Summer of the
Australia’s early poets were Seventeenth Doll, which
mostly bush balladeers, challenged the deep­rooted
articulating life in the Australian concept of male
Australian bush. “The Man friendship. The play has been
from Snowy River” and “Clancy adapted as an opera, with
of the Overflow” by A B “Banjo” music by Australian
Paterson (1864–1941) are composer Richard Meale.
classics and have been Other notable contem­
immortalised in song and porary playwrights are Nick
Film poster of Schindler’s List, based on Schindler’s List, based on Schindler’s List film. Writing from the late Enright, Stephen Sewell,
Schindler’s Ark 1800s until his death in 1922, Michael Gow and Louis Nowra.