Author | Henry Lawson |
---|---|
Language | English |
Genre | Short story collection |
Publisher | Angus and Robertson |
Publication date | 1896 |
Publication place | Australia |
Media type | |
Pages | 333 pp |
Preceded by | Short Stories in Prose and Verse |
Followed by | In the Days When the World was Wide and Other Verses |
While the Billy Boils is a collection of short stories by the Australian writer Henry Lawson, published by Angus and Robertson in 1896. It includes "The Drover's Wife", "On the Edge of a Plain", and "The Union Buries Its Dead". [1]
The collection consists of 52 short stories from a variety of sources. [1]
A reviewer in The Queenslander found much to like about the book but also noted its limitations: "..most of the sketches can best be described as Bulletinesque, the evidence of their having been written with a view to appearance in that popular weekly being unmistakable. There is plenty of variety in the book; fun and pathos, and the two commingled, with running through nearly all a note of cynicism - not altogether spontaneous in the author, but rather inspired by his associations — which one has come to expect in the writings of Henry Lawson." [2]
Similarly the reviewer in The Australian Town and Country Journal: "They are just such anecdotes and snap-shots of general conversation which would be in keeping with the time for rest and jest around camp-fires, and of course the author picked up his materials under such circumstances. They can scarcely all be denominated "stories" - inasmuch as many of them are merely impressions of men and things, and are no more tales than the descriptive writing of a journalist. These impressions give anything but a cheerful view of Australian life up country, The stranger who knows not Australia will doubtless apply Mr. Lawson's description to the whole country outside the towns, but the stories do not deal with the country as a whole, but with that part of it referred to as "out back."" [3]
Several of the stories in this collections were adapted for the screen in a 1921 film. It was written, directed and produced by Beaumont Smith. [4] It is considered a lost film.
The State Library of New South Wales holds the correction drafts of this title. They are available online. [5]
Henry Archibald Hertzberg Lawson was an Australian writer and bush poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period and is often called Australia's "greatest short story writer".
Edward George Dyson was an Australian journalist, poet, playwright and short story writer. He was the elder brother of illustrators Will Dyson (1880–1938) and Ambrose Dyson (1876–1913), with three sisters also of artistic and literary praise.
John "Jack" Mitchell, often referred to only as Mitchell, is a recurring fictional character in short stories and sketches by Australian writer Henry Lawson. He is widely considered one of Lawson's most memorable characters.
"A Double Buggy at Lahey's Creek" is a short story by Australian writer and poet Henry Lawson, first published in 1901. It was Lawson's second story to include the character of Joe Wilson; however, chronologically, it is fourth and final in the Joe Wilson series. The story recounts the events that befall Joe Wilson and his family, and which ultimately lead to his buying a double buggy for his wife, Mary.
"The Loaded Dog" is a comedy short story by the Australian writer Henry Lawson. The plot concerns three gold miners and their dog, and the farcical consequences of leaving a bomb cartridge unattended. The story was first published in the collection Joe Wilson and His Mates in 1901.
"On The Edge of a Plain" is a sketch story by Australian writer Henry Lawson, featuring his recurring character Jack Mitchell. The story was originally published in The Bulletin on 6 May 1893, and was collected in While the Billy Boils in 1896. It is considered among Lawson's best Mitchell stories.
A sketch story, literary sketch or simply sketch, is a piece of writing that is generally shorter than a short story, and contains very little, if any, plot. The genre was invented after the 16th century in England, as a result of increasing public interest in realistic depictions of "exotic" locales. The term was most popularly used in the late nineteenth century. As a literary work, it is also often referred to simply as "the sketch".
Steelman and Smith are two fictional characters appearing in a series of short stories by Australian writer Henry Lawson.
The Fact of the Matter is a poem by prolific Australian writer and poet Edward Dyson (1865–1931). It was first published in The Bulletin magazine on 30 July 1892 in reply to fellow poets Henry Lawson and Banjo Paterson. This poem formed part of the Bulletin Debate, a series of poems by Lawson, Paterson, and others, about the true nature of life in the Australian bush.
Australia traditional storytelling, handed down from generation to generation, has always been part of the landscape. Since the beginning of time storytelling played a vital role in Australian Aboriginal culture, one of the world's oldest cultures. Aboriginal children were told stories from a very early age; stories that helped them understand the air, the land, the universe, their people, their culture, and their history. Elders told stories of their journeys and their accomplishments. As the children grew into adults they took on the responsibility of passing on the stories. These stories are as much a cultural necessity as they are entertainment and are still passed on orally though many are now recorded in print, audio and video
Frank Beaumont "Beau" Smith, was an Australian film director, producer and exhibitor, best known for making low-budget comedies.
While the Billy Boils is a 1921 Australian film from director Beaumont Smith based on Smith's stage play adaptation of several stories from Henry Lawson.
"The Drover's Wife" is a dramatic short story by the Australian writer Henry Lawson. It recounts the story of a woman left alone with her four children in an isolated hut in the outback in the late 19th century.
In the Days When the World Was Wide and Other Verses (1896) is the first collection of poems by Australian poet and author Henry Lawson. It was released in hardback by Angus and Robertson in 1896, and features the poet's widely anthologised poems "The Free Selector's Daughter", "Andy's Gone with Cattle", "Middleton's Rouseabout" and the best of Lawson's contributions to The Bulletin Debate, a famous dispute in The Bulletin magazine from 1892-93 between Lawson and Banjo Paterson.
Verses, Popular and Humorous (1900) was the second collection of poems by Australian poet Henry Lawson. It was released in hardback by Angus and Robertson publishers in 1900. It features some of the poet's earlier major works, including "The Lights of Cobb and Co", "Saint Peter" and "The Grog-An'-Grumble-Steeplechase". Most of the poems in the volume had been written after the publication of In the Days When the World was Wide and Other Verses in 1896.
Over the Sliprails (1900) is a collection of short stories by Australian poet and author Henry Lawson. It was released in hardback by Angus and Robertson in 1900, and features some of the author's lesser known stories.
On the Track (1900) is a collection of short stories by Australian poet and author Henry Lawson. It was released in hardback by Angus and Robertson in 1900, and features one of the author's better known stories in "Bill, the Ventriloquial Rooster", as well as a number of lesser known works.
Joe Wilson and His Mates (1901) is a collection of short stories by Australian poet and author Henry Lawson. It was released in hardback by William Blackwood in 1901 when Lawson was living in England, and features one of the author's better known stories in "The Loaded Dog".
"His Father's Mate" is a melodramatic short story by Henry Lawson. It was first published in the 22 December 1888 issue of The Bulletin, and later included in the author's short story collection, While the Billy Boils, and in many short story anthologies. It was the author's first published short story.
Favourite Australian Stories is an anthology of Australian short stories edited by Colin Thiele, published by Rigby in 1963.