McLaren, John (1972) Red bones in the sunset - the dead heart of Australian literature : text of the George Essex Evans Oration, June 18, 1972. In: George Essex Evans Oration, June 18, 1972. (Unpublished)

Abstract

Contains a review of Australian literature following the European settlement. Although the earliest European settlers in Australia were forced migrants, the settlement was promoted by men who had a vision for a new and better society in the south. This same dream nourished the explorers who searched for the inland sea, the squatters who pushed their flocks into the interior and across the continent, the unionists who fought for a fair wage today and the brotherhood of man tomorrow, the selectors who fought the squatters for a share of the land and the engineers who supported them with railways, roads and reservoirs. The dream, however, has been continually frustrated, by the harshness of the land itself and by the greed of the men who have exploited it. Australian literature is a record of this constant betrayal of hope. Included is a review of George Essex Evans’ poetry.

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