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Lawson
The compelling true story of the extraordinary rise, devastating fall and enduring legacy of celebrated writer & Australian icon, from the bestselling author of BANJO, BANKS and SISTER VIV
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Check link for latest rating. ( 160 ratings, 22 reviews)Format: Paperback / softback
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Description
The extraordinary rise, devastating fall and enduring legacy of an Australian icon
Lawson by Grantlee Kieza captures the heart and soul of Australia and its people with greater clarity and truth than any writer before him. Born on the goldfields in 1867, Henry Lawson became the voice of ordinary Australians, recording the hopes, dreams, and struggles of bush battlers and slum dwellers, fierce independent women, foreign fathers, and larrikin mates.
Lawson wrote from the heart, documenting what he saw from his earliest days as a poor, lonely, handicapped boy with warring parents on a worthless farm, to his years as a literary lion, then as a hopeless addict begging for drinks on the streets, and eventually as a prison inmate, locked up in a tiny cell beside murderers. A controversial figure today, he was one of the first writers to shine a light on the hardships faced by Australia's hard-toiling wives and mothers, and among the first to portray, with sympathy, the despair of Indigenous Australians at the ever-encroaching European tide. His heroic figures such as The Drover's Wife and the fearless unionists striking out for a better deal helped define Australia's character, and while still a young man, his storytelling drew comparisons on the world stage with Tolstoy, Gorky, and Kipling.
But Henry Lawson's own life may have been the most compelling saga of all, a heart-breaking tale of brilliance, lost love, self-destruction, and madness. Grantlee Kieza, the author of critically acclaimed bestselling biographies of such prominent figures as Banjo Paterson, Joseph Banks, Lachlan Macquarie, and John Monash, reveals the extraordinary rise, devastating fall, and enduring legacy of an Australian icon.
Praise for Grantlee Kieza OAM
'Engagingly written ... one of the most nuanced portraits to date' The Australian
'Vivid, detailed and well written' Daily Telegraph
'A staggering accomplishment that can't be missed by history buffs and story lovers alike' Betterreading.com.au
'A free-flowing biography of a great Australian figure' John Howard
'Clear and accessible ... well-crafted and extensively documented' Weekend Australian
'Kieza has added hugely to the depth of knowledge about our greatest military general in a book that is timely' Tim Fischer, Courier-Mail
'The author writes with the immediacy of a fine documentary ... an easy, informative read, bringing historic personalities to life' Ballarat Courier
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780733340536
Publisher: ABC Books
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 03 August 2022
Country: Australia
Imprint: ABC Books
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 33.0mm
Width: 155.0mm
Height: 235.0mm
Weight: 552g
Pages: 512
About the Author
Grantlee Kieza OAM is an award-winning journalist and the highly acclaimed, bestselling author of more than twenty biographies. Kieza held senior editorial positions at The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Telegraph and The Courier-Mail for many years and was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for his writing. He is a Walkley Award finalist, a 2025 ABIA shortlisted author for Biography of the Year, a 2025 Indie Award shortlisted author for Non-fiction, the No. 1 history author in Australia in 2024, and the author of national bestsellers Mr and Mrs Gould, Sister Viv, Flinders, The Remarkable Mrs Reibey, Hudson Fysh, Lawson, Banks, Macquarie, Banjo, Mrs Kelly, Monash and Bert Hinkler.
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Banks
Lust, science, adventure β Joseph Banks and his voyages of discovery Sir Joseph Banks was a man of passion whose influence spanned the globe. A fearless adventurer, his fascination with beautiful women was only trumped by his obsession with the natural world and his lust for scientific knowledge. Fabulously wealthy, Banks was the driving force behind monumental voyages and scientific...Paperback$3400Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
Macquarie
A lively and engaging portrait of a towering and complex figure of Australian colonial history. Macquarie by Grantlee Kieza is an in-depth exploration of Lachlan Macquarie, a pivotal figure credited with transforming the penal colony of New Holland into an agricultural powerhouse and a prosperous society. As an egalitarian, Macquarie saw opportunity in former convicts, enabling many to become successful...Paperback$3600Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
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The inspiring story of Mary Penfold, the mother of the Australian wine industry - a self-taught vintner and business genius who emigrated to a frontier settlement and built her family's small vineyard into one of the world's most respected winemakers. Bestselling author and biographer Grantlee Kieza turns his focus to the birth of the Australian wine industry and the mother,...Hardback$5500Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
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The extraordinary story of Mary Reibey - immortalised on the Australian $20 note, Australia's first female entrepreneur and the most powerful woman in colonial history SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 INDIE BOOK AWARDS In 1791, teenage runaway and sometime horse thief Mary Reibey narrowly escaped the English gallows with transportation to the brutal new penal colony at Sydney Cove. It was...Paperback$3500Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
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The extraordinary story of the famous 'Birdman' John Gould and his talented wife Elizabeth, who revealed the astonishing world of Australian birds and wildlife in one of the most important naturalist expeditions in history - from the bestselling author of Sister Viv, Flinders, Banks, Mrs Kelly and The Remarkable Mrs Reibey. Longlisted for the Indie Book Awards 2025 John and...Paperback$3600Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
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The extraordinary life of the Gallipoli veteran and WWI Flying Corp gunner who founded Qantas and gave Australia its wings By the critically acclaimed author of bestselling biographies of John Monash, Banjo Paterson, Joseph Banks, Lachlan Macquarie, and Henry Lawson, this is a fascinating, lively, and thoroughly researched portrait of a modest, resolute family man with a steady hand during...Paperback$3500Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
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The extraordinary life, loves and voyages of the man who put Australia on the map, now with a foreword from Flinders' great-great-great-grand-daughters on the 250th anniversary of his birth. In 1810, Matthew Flinders made his final voyage home to his beloved wife, Ann, his body ravaged by the deprivations of years of imprisonment by the French. Four years later, at...Paperback$3600Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
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The remarkable life of Australia's greatest storyteller 'A detailed and sympathetic account ... fascinating' - The Australian A.B. 'Banjo' Paterson is rightly recognised as Australia's greatest storyteller and most celebrated poet, the boy from the bush who became the voice of a generation. He gave the nation its unofficial national anthem 'Waltzing Matilda' and treasured ballads such as 'The Man...Paperback$3400Elsewhere:$3699Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
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Shortlisted for the Indie Book Awards 2025, this is the inspiring story of the nursing hero who survived a wartime massacre and dedicated her life to saving others - from the critically acclaimed, bestselling author of Flinders, The Remarkable Mrs Reibey, Hudson Fysh, and Banjo. Shortlist Indie Book Awards 2025 Shortlist ABIA Biography of the Year 2025 Bangka Island, 1942:...Paperback$3600Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
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Stunning trade paperback edition of Grantlee Kieza's bestselling biography of Australia's greatest general. It's December 1918 and the world war is over. General Sir John Monash attends a glittering banquet to dine with the King of England and the likes of Woodrow Wilson, Winston Churchill and Rudyard Kipling. Just four months earlier, the commander of the Australian Corps had been...Paperback$3600Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks
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