C.J. Dennis

Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis, who published as C.J. Dennis, (7 September 1876 - 22 June 1938) was an Australian poet known for his humorous verse, especially "The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke", published in the early 20th century.

Youth
Dennis was born in Auburn, South Australia. His father owned hotels in Auburn, and then later in Gladstone and Laura. His mother suffered ill health, so Clarrie (as he was known) was raised initially by his great-aunts, then went away to school, Christian Brothers College, Adelaide as a teenager.

Career
At the age of 19 he was employed as a solicitor's clerk. It was while he was working in this job that, like banker's clerk Banjo Paterson before him, his first poem was published. He later went on to publish in The Bulletin, as Paterson and Henry Lawson had also done. The three are often considered Australia's three most famous poets; though Dennis's work is less well known today, his 1916 publication of The Sentimental Bloke sold 65,000 copies in its first year, and by 1917 he was the most prosperous poet in Australian history.

Writing
The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke and numerous spin-offs published subsequently related the everyday adventures of the title character Bill, his girl Doreen, his friend Ginger Mick, and other characters. The poems are written in dialect, and present the Sentimental Bloke as a typical larrikin.
 * This ev'nin' I was sittin' wiv Doreen,
 * Peaceful an' 'appy wiv the day's work done,
 * Watchin', be'ind the orchard's bonzer green,
 * The flamin' wonder of the settin' sun.


 * Another day gone by; another night
 * Creepin' along to douse Day's golden light;
 * Another dawning when the night is gone,
 * To live an' love--an' so life mooches on.


 * (from "The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke")

Recognition
After Dennis's death at the age of 61, Joseph Lyons, the Prime Minister of Australia, described him as "the Robert Burns of Australia".

Dennis is buried in Box Hill Cemetery, Melbourne. The Box Hill Historical Society have attached a commemorative plaque to the gravestone. Dennis is also commemorated with a plaque on Circular Quay in Sydney which forms part of the NSW Ministry for the Arts - Writers Walk series, and by a bust outside the town hall of the town of Laura.

The Sentimental Bloke was adapted as a stage play, a silent film of the same name, a sound film, and a musical over the following decades. In 1983, Australia Post featured the Sentimental Bloke on a series of stamps.

A poetry prize named in Dennis's honour is presented regularly by the Premier of Victoria as a part of the annual Victorian Premier's Literary Award ceremony.

Publications

 * Backblock Ballads and Other Verses. Melbourne: E.W. Cole, 1913.
 * The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke. Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1916.
 * The Moods of Ginger Mick. Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1916.
 * The Glugs of Gosh. Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1917.
 * Doreen. Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1917.
 * Digger Smith. Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1918.
 * Backblock Ballads and Later Verses. Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1918.
 * Jim of the Hills: A Story in Rhyme. Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1919.
 * A Book for Kids. Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1921. (reissued as Roundabout, 1935).
 * Rose of Spadgers: A Sequel to “Ginger Mick”. Sydney: Cornstalk Publishing, 1924.
 * The Singing Garden. Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1935.

'' Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy the Australian Poetry Library. ''