Review of The Real Henry Lawson by Colin Roderick

Abstract

The title of Colin Roderick's book is suggestive in more ways than one; principally, it gives the impression that there are matters concerning the life of Henry Lawson that have not been known or not understood and that a distorted sense of the man has become current which the author will set out to correct. It also implies that there are complexities in the life and character of one of the best known of Australia's writers which need to be delineated and explored. To boldly announce that one is proposing to present reality and explode myths is to arouse considerable expectations. It is more than a little disappointing, therefore, that Dr Roderick's idea of what constitutes reality should prove as threadbare as it does.

The full text of this essay is available to ALS subscribers

Please sign in to access this article and the rest of our archive.

Published 1 October 1983 in Volume 11 No. 2. Subjects: Henry Lawson.

Cite as: Robinson, Dennis. ‘Review of The Real Henry Lawson by Colin Roderick.’ Australian Literary Studies, vol. 11, no. 2, 1983, doi: 10.20314/als.65d5dba51c.