Power Without Glory
First edition
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| Author | Frank J. Hardy |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Thriller, novel |
| Publisher | Realist Printing & Publishing Co |
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Publication date
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1950 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 669 pp |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 47707257 |
Power Without Glory is a 1950 novel written by Australian writer Frank Hardy. It was later adapted into a mini-series by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (1976).
The work was originally self-published, with illustrations by Hardy's friend and fellow Communist "Amb" Dyson, with the rubric "a novel in three parts by Frank J. Hardy, Ross Franklyn". "Ross Franklyn" was the pseudonym Hardy had always used prior to Power Without Glory. This combination of real name and pen name was also used in Hardy's 1961 book The Hard Way which describes the difficulties "Ross Franklyn" had in having the book published, and the problems Frank Hardy faced in answering the criminal libel charge against him arising from the publication.
The novel is a fictionalised version of the life of Melbourne businessman and Australian Labor Party power-broker, John Wren. It is largely set in the fictitious Melbourne suburb of Carringbush, which is based on the actual suburbs of Abbotsford and Collingwood. In the novel, West is involved in criminal activities and political machinations, particularly related to gambling.
The book includes many characters based on other important social and political figures in Victoria and Australia, including:
A fuller list of characters and locations is provided in the following section "Characters and real-life equivalents".
The barely-disguised inspiration for the "West" character is made clear by the fact that West, like Wren, has a brother called "Arthur" who spent time in jail for aiding and abetting a crime of rape. (Wren's other brother, Joseph, also appears in the novel.) Wren's wife Ellen (née Mahon) appears as "Nellie", and there is mention in the novel of his children: his violinist daughter Margaret, his son John Jr., and another daughter, who becomes a Communist, resembles Wren's radical daughter Mary, who was an active member of the communist front organisation the Movement Against War and Fascism.
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Wikipedia