What I am reading: Australian Ballads

This semester at university I am doing a unit called Themes in Australian Literature. This unit is actually an English unit but I need to complete two units of English as a part of my Master of Arts in Creative Writing. Like the unit on English literature I studied last semester I am finding this unit very stimulating. It has been many years since I formally studied any Australian literature. Some of the texts and writers are completely new to me; I have heard of them but have not read any of their work. This is about to change.

The first topic we are looking at include the ballads. We looked at particular at the writing of early colonial writers like Henry Lawson and AB ‘Banjo’ Paterson. When refreshing my memory this week of the well known ballads of Paterson like The Man from Ironbark and The Man from Snowy River I just had to read them aloud. There is something special about these wonderful ballads that demands being read aloud.

One day I may even try writing a ballad.

Good writing.