The Fire at Ross's Farm

"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

"The Fire at Ross's Farm" (1890) is a poem by Australian poet Henry Lawson. ^[1]

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

Writing 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

After 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

• 1890 in Australian literature
• 1890 in poetry

References

1. "Austlit — "The Fire at Ross's Farm" by Henry Lawson". Austlit. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
2. ""Inspiration of the Bush"". The Brisbane Courier, 26 July 1924, p19. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
3. ""'As only natives ride': Lawson's Adversity, Private Property and Australian Culture" by Neil Boyack". Stralian Stories May 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
4. "Short Stories in Prose and Verse (L. Lawson)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
5. "The Children's Lawson (A&R)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
6. "The Australian Christmas (Heinemann)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
7. "A Campfire Yarn : Henry Lawson Complete Works 1885-1900 (Lansdowne)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
8. "Henry Lawson : An Illustrated Treasury (Lansdowne)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
9. "A Collection of Australian Bush Verse (Peter Antill-Rose)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
10. "Family Ties : Australian Poems of the Family (OUP)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
11. "Classic Australian Verse (Five Mile Press)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2023.