C. J. Dennis

C. J. Dennis, taken during the 1890s.

Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis, better known as C. J. Dennis, (7 September 1876 - 22 June 1938) was an Australian poet known for his humorous poems, especially "The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke", published in the early 20th century. Though Dennis's work is less well known today, his 1916 publication of The Sentimental Bloke sold 65,000 copies in its first year, and by 1917 he was the most prosperous poet in Australian history.^[1]

Together with Banjo Paterson and Henry Lawson, both of whom he collaborated with, he is often considered among Australia's three most famous poets.

When he died at the age of 61, the Prime Minister of Australia Joseph Lyons suggested he was destined to be remembered as the "Australian Robert Burns".^[2]

Biography

C. J. Dennis was born in Auburn, South Australia. His father owned hotels in Auburn, and then later in Gladstone and Laura. His mother suffered ill health, so Clarrie (as he was known) was raised initially by his great-aunts, then went away to school, Christian Brothers College, Adelaide as a teenager.^[1]

At the age of 19 he was employed as a solicitor's clerk. It was while he was working in this job that, like banker's clerk Banjo Paterson before him, his first poem was published.^[1] He later went on to publish in The Bulletin.

C. J. Dennis is buried in Box Hill Cemetery, Melbourne. The Box Hill Historical Society have attached a commemorative plaque to the gravestone. Dennis is also commemorated with a plaque on Circular Quay in Sydney which forms part of the NSW Ministry for the Arts - Writers Walk series,^[3] and by a bust outside the town hall of the town of Laura.^[4]

Publications

• Backblock Ballads and Other Verses (1913)
• The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke (1915)
• The Moods of Ginger Mick (1916)
• The Glugs of Gosh (1917)
• Doreen (1917)
• Digger Smith (1918)
• Backblock Ballads and Later Verses (1918)
• Jim of the Hills (1919)
• A Book for Kids (1921) (reissued as Roundabout, 1935)
• Rose of Spadgers (1924)
• The Singing Garden (1935)

Shorter works were also published in a wide variety of Australian newspapers and magazines.

See also

Poetry portal

• C. J. Dennis Prize for Poetry

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Australian Dictionary of Biography - Dennis, Clarence Michael James (1876 - 1938)
2. ^ "AUSTRALIAN POET.". The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1956) (Melbourne, Vic.: National Library of Australia): p. 2. 23 June 1938. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11160128. Retrieved 10 August 2011. 
3. ^ Matilda - Australian Literary Monuments #18
4. ^ Matilda - Australian Literary Monuments #3

External links

• Works by C. J. Dennis at Project Gutenberg
• Works by C J Dennis at Project Gutenberg of Australia
• Australian Authors - C. J. Dennis
• Philip Butterss ' " Your Vote is Wanted": C.J. Dennis at the Call' JASAL 7 (2007)
• Jack Thompson reads poems by C.J. Dennis

Persondata
Name	Dennis, C. J.
Alternative names
Short description	Australian poet
Date of birth	7 September 1876
Place of birth	Auburn, South Australia, Australia
Date of death	22 June 1938
Place of death	Australia