There is something uncollectable about the design of last years Text Publishing “Classics” series of books. They don’t have the rich maroon grandeur or the humble olive green simplicity of the two Classics series by Vintage, and the paper quality is very poor, even for the price of 12.95. The font is also suspect (!) however, I couldn’t get David Irelands’ book from 1972 any other way, aside from a lucky find secondhand maybe.
The story itself was a series of vignettes based around events in a pub in southern Sydney in the rough and tumble 70s, so simply written but menacing in a Wake In Fright way (and more) and gloriously celebrates the working class drinker and his tribe. I was completely caught up in the mood of the pieces, gasping at the casual savagery shown to outsiders, the silent body language and hierarchy of the men, the ease with which the outrageous became acceptable. In my view it’s a bit of a masterpiece of seemingly simple writing that captures the time perfectly. 4.5 stars.