The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke
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| Author | C. J. Dennis |
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| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Verse novel |
| Publisher | Angus & Robertson |
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Publication date
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1915 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 113, plus 14 pages of Glossary |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 29006080 |
| Text | at |
The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke is a verse novel by Australian novelist and poet C. J. Dennis. The work was first published in book form in 1915 and sold over 60,000 copies in nine editions within the first year.
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.
The first portion of the novel, The Stoush O' Day, was originally published in The Bulletin on 1 April 1909. All bar two of the remaining chapters were also published in that magazine between 1909 and 1915.
The completed work was first published in book form in Sydney on 9 October 1915.
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, which was dated 1 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).
The illustrations of the bloke, cupid-like and "whimsical", were provided by Hal Gye.
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; and a "talkie" version in 1932, directed by F. W. Thring from a screenplay by C. J. Dennis.
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