The Penguin Henry Lawson Short Stories / Henry Lawson

One of the great observers of Australian life, Henry Lawson has become part of the Australian national psyche, and his short stories and verse have come to affect how Australian's view their country. Yet at his best Lawson transcends even the very bush, the very outback, the very up-country, the very pub or selector's hut he conveys with such brevity and acuity: he makes specific places universal. Henry Lawson is too often regarded as a legend rather than a writer to be enjoyed. In this selection Lawson is revealed as a writer whose delightful, humorous, wry and moving short stories continue to delight generations of readers. This is the essential Lawson collection - the classic of Australian classics.

 

Henry Lawson (1867-1922) was born at Grenfell, NSW. With little formal education behind him, Lawson started an apprenticeship in Sydney, where he began to write verse and short stories. His work was extremely well-received and was published often in the Bulletin. Lawson produced a volume of his best short stories - including The Loaded Dog and The Drover's Wife - in 1901. A national figure and strongly identified with Australian values, he died in Sydney and was given a state funeral.