The Moods of Ginger Mick by C J Dennis
Jist to intrajuice me cobber, an’ ’is name is Ginger Mick—
A rorty boy, a naughty boy, wiv rude impressions thick
In ’is casu’l conversation, an’ the wicked sort o’ face
That gives the sudden shudders to the lor-abidin’ race.

Digger Smith by C J Dennis
“Before the war,” she sighs. “Before the war.”
    Then blinks ’er eyes, an’ tries to work a smile.

Rose of Spadgers by C J Dennis
I’ve crawled; I’ve eaten dirt; I’ve lied a treat;
I’ve dodged the cops an’ led a double life;
I’ve readied up wild tales to tell me wife,
W’ich afterwards I’ve ‘ad to take an’ eat
Red raw.

Unfortunately, I have been unable to find a review of Rose of Spadgers and, looking at Goodreads, I seem to be the only person to ever have read it (this, of course, is most certainly not the case). This guest post by academic John Gough on the ANZLitLovers blog talks about the difficulties and joys of reading C J Dennis’s Sentimental Bloke series and ends with a brief description of each of the books.

I enjoyed the books – they are both humorous and poignant and do give a glimpse into the past. Like all poetry, these books are best read aloud which I think makes them easier to understand. I found no problem understanding Dennis’s language as it is reminiscent of that used by my grandfather(1887-1973) although he didn’t drop gs and hs and most certainly didn’t swear in front of the children.