Timeline
Title
Country/Nationality
C. J. Dennis
Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis was an Australian poet known for his humorous poems, especially "The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke", published in the early 20th century. Though Dennis's work is less well known today, his 1915 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.
C. J. 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.
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 under the pseudonym "The Best of the Six". He later went on to publish in The Worker, under his own name, and as "Den", and in The Bulletin. His collected poetry was published by Angus & Robertson.
C.J. Dennis married Margaret Herron in 1917. She published two novels and a biography of Dennis called Down the Years.
C. J. Dennis is buried in Box Hill Cemetery, Melbourne.
Books by C. J. Dennis
The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke
The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke tells the story of Bill, a member of a larrikin push (or gang) in Melbourne's Little Lon red-light district, who encounters Doreen, a young woman "of some social aspiration", in a local market. Narrated by Bill, the p...
The Glugs of Gosh
This is a whimsical and imaginative book that takes readers on a delightful journey to the fictional land of Gosh. Originally published in 1917, this enchanting work of literature captures the essence of a unique and quirky society, offering readers...
Bill & Doreen's Married Life
"Bill and Doreen's Married Life" is a hilarious and heartwarming account of the ups and downs of married life. Bill and Doreen are a young couple who are just starting out their married life. They are full of love and optimism, but they are also qui...
Jim of the Hills - A Story in Rhyme
In the rugged Australian bush, a young man named Jim seeks love and happiness. Jim of the Hills by C. J. Dennis is a humorous and heartwarming story in verse about a young man named Jim who lives in the Australian bush. Jim is a simple man with a ki...
Publisher
LibriVox volunteers bring you 19 recordings of The Publisher by C.J. Dennis. This was the weekly poetry project for June 28th, 2009.
Ruined Reversolet
LibriVox volunteers bring you 16 recordings of A Ruined Reversolet by C. J. Dennis. This was the Weekly Poetry project for October 28, 2012.Clarence James Dennis was an Australian poet and journalist. In his varied career, he worked as a barman, shea...
Australaise
LibriVox volunteers bring you 6 recordings of The Austra--laise by C.J.Dennis. This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for January 13, 2013.THE AUSTRALAISE is a poem composed by C.J. Dennis, widely considered to the poet laureate of vernacular verse...
Bill & Doreen's Courtship (Selections from "The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke")
"The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke" is a verse novel by Australian novelist and poet C. J. Dennis. The work was first published in book form in 1915 and sold over 60,000 copies in nine editions within the first year. A special pocket edition was even...
Bill & Doreen Get Hitched (Selections from "The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke")
"Bill & Doreen Get Hitched" is the sequel to "Bill & Doreen's Courtship". "The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke" is a verse novel by Australian novelist and poet C. J. Dennis. The work was first published in book form in 1915 and sold over 60,000 copies...
Digger Smith
“Digger Smith” is a series of narrative poems about an Australian soldier coming home in the closing months of the Great War minus a leg and with “ANZAC eyes” ... what a later war would call “The Thousand Yard Stare”. Despite his post-traumatic str...