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 2 February 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	[1]
"Steelman's Pupil"	The Bulletin (December 14, 1895)^[11]	While the Billy Boils (1896)		[2]
"The Geological Spieler"		While the Billy Boils (1896)		[3]
"An Oversight of Steelman’s"	The Bulletin (September 18, 1897)^[12]	On the Track (1900)		[4]
"How Steelman told his Story"	The Bulletin (February 25, 1899)^[13]	On the Track (1900)		[5]
"A Gentleman Sharper and Steelman Sharper"		Over the Sliprails (1900)		[6]

References

^ John Docker (2 September 1991). The Nervous Nineties: Australian Cultural Life in the 1890s. Oxford University Press. pp. 129–130. ISBN 978-0-19-553247-0.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Hewett, Dorothy (1967). "The journey of Henry Lawson". Australian Left Review. 1 (7): 28–34.
^ ^a ^b ^c Kiernan, Brian (1997). "'From Mudgee Hills to London Town': A Critical Biography of Henry Lawson". Sydney Studies in Society and Culture. 17: 72–128.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e 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.
^ Spurr, Barry; Cameron, Lloyd (2000). "Selected Stories by Henry Lawson". Standard English. Pascal Press. p. 120. ISBN 9781741250688.
^ Lawson, Henry (1900). "An Oversight of Steelman's". On the Track. Angus and Robertson.
^ "Steelman and Smith". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
^ Reis, Brian (1997). Australian Film: A Bibliography. Mansell. p. 250.
^ Keating, Chris; Moran, Albert (2007). The A to Z of Australian Radio and Television. Plymouth, UK: Scarecrow Press. p. 55. ISBN 9780810868564.
^ "Henry Lawson stories adapted for radio". The Australian Women's Weekly. National Library of Australia. February 12, 1944. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
^ ^a ^b Lawson, Henry (2013). Eggert, Paul (ed.). While the Billy Boils: The Original Newspaper Versions. Sydney, Australia: Sydney University Press. ISBN 9781743320112.
^ "An Oversight of Steelman's". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
^ "How Steelman Told His Story". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. Retrieved 2020-07-07.

[Docker1991-1] John Docker (2 September 1991). The Nervous Nineties: Australian Cultural Life in the 1890s. Oxford University Press. pp. 129–130. ISBN 978-0-19-553247-0.

[:0-2] Hewett, Dorothy (1967). "The journey of Henry Lawson". Australian Left Review. 1 (7): 28–34.

[:1-3] Kiernan, Brian (1997). "'From Mudgee Hills to London Town': A Critical Biography of Henry Lawson". Sydney Studies in Society and Culture. 17: 72–128.

[:2-4] 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. ISBN 9781741250688.

[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.

[:3-11] 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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