Steelman and Smith

Steelman and Smith are two fictional characters appearing in a series of short stories by Australian writer Henry Lawson.[1]

Background

In 1893, Henry Lawson travelled to New Zealand, where he initially spent three months unemployed in Wellington, sleeping in a sewerage pipe.[2] He then became a telegraph linesman on New Zealand's South Island, working in a team that was laying a cable between Picton and Dunedin.[2][3] Lawson later described these times as among the happiest of his life.[3] These experiences have been credited with inspiring his Steelman and Smith stories.[2][3] It is reputed that the Steelman character was modelled on a "commercial traveller" that Lawson met during this period.[4] Smith was partly a self-portrait, based, according to Lawson, on "the weaker side of myself."[4]

Description

Steelman and Smith are con-artists living in New Zealand,[5] described in one story as "professional wanderers."[6] Steelman "survives on the sharpness of his wits", while Smith is his "dim-witted and naive offsider."[4] Steelman is usually successful in his ruses, with the exception of the story "The Geological Spieler."[4]

Legacy

According to the Oxford Companion to Australian Literature, the Steelman character "is the focus for some of Lawson's best yarns and tall stories [but] lacks the complexity of other recurring characters in Lawson's fiction such as Jack Mitchell and Dave Regan."[4] Dorothy Hewett described the pair as "outsiders journeying on a discovery of themselves and society."[2]

The Steelman and Smith stories were adapted into "Steelman and Smith", an episode of the television series Lawson's Mates, which aired on ABC TV on February 2, 1980.[7] The episode was adapted by Cliff Green, and featured Steve Bisley.[8][9] In February 1944, radio station 2GB adapted "Steelman's Pupil" into a radio drama narrated by Lloyd Berrell, along with several other Lawson stories.[10]

Bibliography
Story First published Collection Notes Ref.
"Steelman" The Bulletin (January 19, 1895)[11] While the Billy Boils (1896) only features Steelman
"Steelman's Pupil" The Bulletin (December 14, 1895)[11] While the Billy Boils (1896)
"The Geological Spieler" While the Billy Boils (1896)
"An Oversight of Steelman’s" The Bulletin (September 18, 1897)[12] On the Track (1900)
"How Steelman told his Story" The Bulletin (February 25, 1899)[13] On the Track (1900)
"A Gentleman Sharper and Steelman Sharper" Over the Sliprails (1900)

References
  1. John Docker (2 September 1991). The Nervous Nineties: Australian Cultural Life in the 1890s. Oxford. p. 129-130. ISBN 978-0-19-553247-0.
  2. Hewett, Dorothy (1967). "The journey of Henry Lawson". Australian Left Review. 1 (7): 28-34.
  3. Kiernan, Brian (1997). "'From Mudgee Hills to London Town': A Critical Biography of Henry Lawson". Sydney Studies in Society and Culture. 17: 72–128.
  4. Wilde, William H.; Hooton, Joy; Andrews, Barry (1991). "Steelman". The Oxford Companion to Australian Literature. South Melbourne, Australia: Oxford University Press. p. 647. ISBN 0195532732.
  5. Spurr, Barry; Cameron, Lloyd (2000). "Selected Stories by Henry Lawson". Standard English. Pascal Press. p. 120.
  6. Lawson, Henry (1900). "An Oversight of Steelman's". On the Track. Angus and Robertson.
  7. "Steelman and Smith". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  8. Reis, Brian (1997). Australian Film: A Bibliography. Mansell. p. 250.
  9. Keating, Chris; Moran, Albert (2007). The A to Z of Australian Radio and Television. Plymouth, UK: Scarecrow Press. p. 55. ISBN 9780810868564.
  10. "Henry Lawson stories adapted for radio". The Australian Women's Weekly. National Library of Australia. February 12, 1944. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  11. Lawson, Henry (2013). Eggert, Paul (ed.). While the Billy Boils: The Original Newspaper Versions. Sydney, Australia: Sydney University Press. ISBN 9781743320112.
  12. "An Oversight of Steelman's". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  13. "How Steelman Told His Story". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
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