The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke

Infobox Book |
name = The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke


image_caption =
author = C.J. Dennis
country = Australia
language = English
genre = Verse novel
publisher = Angus and Robertson
release_date = 1915
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pages = 113, plus 14 pages of Glossary
isbn = ISBN 0-207-14366-8

"The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke" is a verse novel by Australian novelist and poet C.J. Dennis. The book sold over 60,000 copies in nine editions within the first year, and is probably one of the highest selling verse novels ever published in Australia.

Plot Introduction

"The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke" tells the story of Bill, a larrikin of the Little Lonsdale Street Push, who is introduced to a young woman by the name of Doreen. The book chronicles their courtship and marriage, detailing Bill's transformation from a violence-prone gang member to a contented husband and father.

Contents

#A Spring Song
#The Intro
#The Stoush O' Day
#Doreen
#The Play
#The Stror 'at Coot
#The Siren
#Mar
#Pilot Cove
#Hitched
#Beef Tea
#Uncle Jim
#The Kid
#The Mooch o' Life

Publication Details

The first portion of the novel, "The Stoush O' Day", was originally published in the Bulletin on 1st April 1909. All bar two of the remaining chapters were also published in that magazine between 1909 and 1915.

The completed work was published on 9th October 1915.

Notes

The book is dedicated "To Mr and Mrs J.G. Roberts". John Garibaldi Roberts was a book-loving public servant working with the Melbourne Tramways Company when he was introduced to C.J. Dennis by R.H. Croll in 1906. He was later to provide much material and emotional support to Dennis during the writing of this work. Dennis later took to calling them "Dad" and "Mum".

The first edition of the novel was published with an introduction by Henry Lawson [http://www.middlemiss.org/lit/authors/denniscj/sbloke/foreword.html Foreword to 1st edition] ] , which was dated 1st September, 1915.

C.J. Dennis went on to publish three sequels to this novel: "The Moods of Ginger Mick" (1916), "Doreen" (1917) and "Rose of Spadgers" (1924).

Film Adaptation

Two film versions of "The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke" have been produced: a silent version in 1919 written and directed by Raymond Longford, and which featured Arthur Tauchert as Bill and Lottie Lyell as Doreen [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0010680/ Internet Movie DataBase - Sentimental Bloke (1919)] ] ; and a "talkie" version in 1932, directed by Frank Thring from a screenplay by C.J. Dennis [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0134958/ Internet Movie DataBase - Sentimental Bloke (1932)] ] . A television adaptation appeared in 1976, written and directed by Alan Burke and featuring Graeme Blundell as Bill. [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0402490/ Internet Movie DataBase - Sentimental Bloke television adaptation (1976)] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.middlemiss.org/lit/authors/denniscj/sbloke/sbloke.html Middlemiss.org]
* [http://freeread.com.au/ebooks/e00018.txt Gutenberg text]