Article: Australia's Greatest Rhymer

[Stephen Whiteside]

Hmm... Bill, I'm wondering if you've got the wrong idea about my feelings towards Henry Lawson. I think he was fantastic. The article I posted here is only concerned with the technical aspects of writing. It is not an attempt to compare the three poets as writers beyond this very narrow perspective. I also wrote the article in the lead-up to the first Toolangi Festival, where I was trying to push the case for Dennis a bit, feeling that Lawson and Paterson didn't leave a lot of space for anybody else. If I've given the impression that I don't have enormous respect for Lawson, then I apologise. This is not the case. As you say, the fact that he achieved so much under enormous adversity only underscores the scale of his talent.