Dear Prime Minister

Name: Dear Prime Minister
Brand: Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand
SKU: 9781742237305
Price: 47.99 NZD
Availability: InStock

Letters to Robert Menzies 1949-1966

By Martyn Lyons

0.0 (0 reviews)

Summary

In Dear Prime Minister by Martyn Lyons, the book delves into a fascinating collection of letters written by citizens to Australian prime ministers over the years. It explores the diverse topics and concerns people have passionately communicated, providing a unique perspective on the relationship between the public and political leaders in Australia. This insightful work offers a compelling historical snapshot of democratic engagement.
Read More

Format: Paperback / softback

$47⁹⁹

AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 3-4 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Dear Prime Minister

$47⁹⁹

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you're intrigued by the relationship between political leaders and the public, as it delves into the letters sent to British prime ministers across history. It provides a unique lens on historical and contemporary political developments through the voices of ordinary citizens, making it a compelling read for those interested in politics and current affairs.

Dear Prime Minister

Dear Prime Minister is a fascinating insight into the concerns, assumptions and political beliefs of 1950s and 1960s Australians.

Description

'I am sir sure you will act as human bean', wrote one distressed pensioner to Prime Minister Robert Menzies in 1953, pleading for assistance.

Robert Menzies received 22,000 letters during his record-breaking 1949-1966 second term as Australian Prime Minister. From war veterans, widows, and political leaders to school students and homespun philosophers, ordinary citizens sent their congratulations and grievances and commented on speeches they had heard on the radio. They lectured him, quoted Shakespeare and the Bible at him, and sent advice on how to eliminate the rabbit problem. In Dear Prime Minister, Menzies' fabled 'Forgotten People' write back.

Revealed here for the first time, the letters respond to the royal visit of 1954, Communism, Australia's British connection, and the dire poverty of aged pensioners. For many writers, these were not post-war boom years, but a time of anxiety and conflict, punctuated by fears of war, another Great Depression, or a nuclear Armageddon. Dear Prime Minister is a fascinating insight into the concerns, assumptions, and political beliefs of 1950s and 1960s Australians.

'An elegantly wry testament to a lost era of letter-writing, as Menzies' 'Forgotten People' lay bare their assorted fears, gripes, hopes, sycophancy, paranoia, generosity, smugness, ingrained racism, sectarian prejudices, sometimes desperate poverty, and often atrocious spelling.' - Richard White

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781742237305

Publisher: NewSouth Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 01 October 2021

Country: Australia

Imprint: NewSouth Publishing

Audience: General / adult, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 15.0mm

Width: 155.0mm

Height: 233.0mm

Weight: 333g

Pages: 288

Collections

Biography & Memoir Education & Reference Journals Martyn Lyons Non-Fiction Politics & Current Affairs Stationery

About the Author

Martyn Lyons is Emeritus Professor of History at the University of New South Wales. He has published many books and articles on the history of reading and writing in Europe and Australia, including A History of Reading and Writing in the Western World (2010) and The Writing Culture of Ordinary People in Europe, c.1860c.1920 (2013).