"The Fire at Ross's Farm" (1890) is a poem by Australian poet Henry Lawson.[1]
| "The Fire at Ross's Farm" | |
|---|---|
| by Henry Lawson | |
| Written | 1890 |
| First published in | The Bulletin |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Publication date | 6 December 1890 |
| Full text | |
 The Fire at Ross's Farm at Wikisource | |
It was originally published in The Bulletin on 6 December 1890 and subsequently reprinted in several of the author's other collections, other newspapers and periodicals and a number of Australian poetry anthologies.[1]
Critical reception
editWriting about the "Inspiration of the Bush" in Australian verse, a critic in The Brisbane Courier noted that "the most graphic account of a bush-fire ever written is certainly that given in Lawson's 'Fire at Ross's Farm,' which is a masterpiece."[2]
In an essay titled "'As only natives ride': Lawson's Adversity, Private Property and Australian Culture" writer Neil Boyack notes that the poem "catalogues aspects of a romanticised Australian identity: assumed mateship, hardy toughness, hearts of gold, a sense of fairness and adaptation to landscape. But through Lawson's simple, cut-to-the-bone prose and word power he creates harshness, uncertainty and a violence that at once dispels this romance."[3]
Publication history
editAfter the poem's initial publication in The Bulletin it was reprinted as follows:
- Short Stories in Prose and Verse by Henry Lawson, L. Lawson, 1894[4]
- In the Days When the World was Wide and Other Verses by Henry Lawson, Angus and Robertson, 1900
- The Children's Lawson edited by Colin Roderick, Angus and Robertson, 1949[5]
- The Australian Christmas edited by Frank Cusack, Heinemann, 1966[6]
- A Campfire Yarn : Henry Lawson Complete Works 1885-1900 edited by Leonard Cronin, Lansdowne, 1984[7]
- Henry Lawson : An Illustrated Treasury edited by Glenys Smith, Lansdowne, 1985[8]
- A Collection of Australian Bush Verse Peter Antill-Rose, 1989[9]
- Family Ties : Australian Poems of the Family edited by Jennifer Strauss, Oxford University Press, 1998[10]
- Classic Australian Verse edited by Maggie Pinkney, Five Mile Press, 2001[11]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Austlit — "The Fire at Ross's Farm" by Henry Lawson". Austlit. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
- ^ ""Inspiration of the Bush"". The Brisbane Courier, 26 July 1924, p19. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
- ^ ""'As only natives ride': Lawson's Adversity, Private Property and Australian Culture" by Neil Boyack". Stralian Stories May 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
- ^ "Short Stories in Prose and Verse (L. Lawson)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
- ^ "The Children's Lawson (A&R)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
- ^ "The Australian Christmas (Heinemann)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
- ^ "A Campfire Yarn : Henry Lawson Complete Works 1885-1900 (Lansdowne)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
- ^ "Henry Lawson : An Illustrated Treasury (Lansdowne)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
- ^ "A Collection of Australian Bush Verse (Peter Antill-Rose)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
- ^ "Family Ties : Australian Poems of the Family (OUP)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
- ^ "Classic Australian Verse (Five Mile Press)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2023.