Crime in the Bush
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| "Crime in the Bush" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by Henry Lawson | |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Essay |
| Publication | |
| Published in | The Bulletin |
| Media type | print (magazine) |
| Publication date | 11 February 1899 |
"Crime in the Bush" (1899) is a dramatic essay by the Australian writer Henry Lawson.[1]
The essay was first published in the 11 February 1899 edition of The Bulletin magazine, and was subsequently reprinted in a number of Australian literary anthologies.
Although generally considered, and indexed as a short story, this piece by Henry Lawson is more a rant about the isolated and terrible conditions experienced by Australian settlers in the bush: not seeing any non-family members for days or weeks at a time; working their children as slaves; and carrying grudges and slights for years that finally manifest into outright violence.
The final paragraph reads: "Mischief breeds mischief; malice, malice; and the tongues of the local hags applaud and chorus, and damn and exaggerate and lie, until the wretched hole is ripe for a 'horror.' Then the Horror comes."[2]
Publications
"Crime in the Bush" first appeared in The Bulletin magazine on 11 February 1899. It was subsequently published as follows:
- Southerly Vol. 25, No. 4 (1965)[1]
- A Camp-Fire Yarn : Henry Lawson Compete Works 1885-1900 edited by Leonard Cronin, 1984[3]
- Henry Lawson Recollections : A Selection of Autobiographical Works edited by Leonard Cronin, 1987[4]
- The Macmillan Anthology of Australian Literature edited by Ken L. Goodwin and Alan Lawson (1990)[5]