Henry & Banjo

· Bolinda · Narrated by James Knight
Audiobook
12 hr 6 min
Unabridged
Eligible
Ratings and reviews aren’t verified  Learn More
Want a 19 min sample? Listen anytime, even offline. 
Add

About this audiobook

Today most of us know that Henry Lawson and Andrew 'Banjo' Paterson were famous writers. We know about Matilda, Clancy of the Overflow and the Man from Snowy River; The Drover's Wife, While the Billy Boils and Joe Wilson and his mates, but little else. Here, in a compelling and engaging work, James Knight brings Henry and Banjo's own stories to life. And there is much to tell. Both were country born, just three years and three hundred kilometres apart, Henry on the goldfields of Grenfell and Banjo on a property near Orange, but their paths to literary immortality took very different routes – indeed at times their lives were ones of savage and all too tragic contrasts. Banjo, born into a life of comparative privilege, would rise from country boy to Sydney Grammar student, solicitor, journalist, war correspondent and revered man about town. Henry's formal education only began when his feminist mother finally won her battle for a local school but illness and subsequent deafness would make continuing his lessons difficult, seeing him find work as a labourer, a coach painter and a journalist, all the while wrestling with poverty, alcoholism and mental illness. Both men would become household names during their lifetimes. Both would have regrets. Henry & Banjo details two incredibly fascinating lives and delves into the famous (and not so famous) writings of the two men who had the power to influence and change Australia.

About the author

During the 1990s James Knight was an award-winning television reporter with the Ten Network, and these days he produces his own human interest and sports documentaries. He is also a bestselling author, having written biographies about Mark Waugh, Shane and Brett Lee, The Dragon's Journey – an incredible story about Vietnamese boat person Duy Long Nguyen – and, most recently, the bestselling biography of outback legend Milton Jones, The Man From Coolibah. James lives in Sydney.

Rate this audiobook

Tell us what you think.

Listening information

Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can read books purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.