The C.J. Dennis Collection from His Forgotten Writings by Garrie Hutchinson

The C.J. Dennis Collection from his forgotten writings edited by Garrie Hutchinson C. J. Dennis (1876-1938) was a born writer and a natural humorist. He loved words – the sound of them and the power of emotions they could evoke. Although he defended the purity of the English language – from pomposity on one side and debasement on the other – he stretched it to great lengths in his writing. His classic works, including the Songs of the Sentimental Bloke, The Moods of Ginger Mick and Doreen, say his masterly use of the larrikin argot of the streets in the Melbourne of the 1900s. His newspaper characters, like Ben Bowyang, Bobby J., Jas. James and Miss Mix also had peculiarities of language, which not only placed them in Dennis’ great spectrum of Australian types, but gave him immense word-twisting fun. His newspaper people have, unfairly, languished in shadows, but they were well known to readers of The Herald, Melbourne as ‘Den” daily produced an outpouring of prose, poetry, comment and comic skits. The range and consistent quality of his work – especially considering his physical frailty and the odd human weakness – is amazing. Garrie Hutchinson has selected from the mass of his ‘forgotten’ material, so that we can enjoy anew the work of the prince of Australian writers. JAK