The real Australia

Alfred Buchanan’s The Real Australia offers a broad and candid examination of Australian life around the turn of the 20th century, capturing its virtues, vices, cultural expressions, and political dynamics. The book is divided into sections that collectively paint a complex picture of a young nation grappling with its identity amid inherited traditions and emerging local realities.

Buchanan begins by exploring Australian character and society, noting a striking tension between individual openness and political exclusiveness. Australians are described as hospitable, tolerant, and ready to learn, yet their political system exhibits bigotry, especially in immigration laws. The figure of the larrikin—an irresponsible, lawless youth—embodies social vices, while many Australians imitate English upper-class manners, revealing aspirations that sometimes border on snobbery and vulgarity. Women hold significant social influence, driving much of the social life with ambition and cleverness. However, Buchanan laments the absence of patriotic, aristocratic, or intellectual ideals, observing that money and material success dominate as the prevailing ideal. This lack of higher ideals and the declining birth-rate raise concerns about Australia’s future, prompting a call for new national ideals beyond pleasure-seeking and materialism.

The book then turns to journalism and politics, dissecting the stratified world of Australian newspapers. Managers wield public influence and commercial power, sub-editors guard business interests often at the expense of journalistic ideals, and newspaper writers form a diverse, loosely organized group with varying talents and morals. The Australian press strikes a middle ground between sensationalism and solemnity, with leading papers in Melbourne and Sydney shaping political discourse. Politics itself is portrayed as a popular but largely unserious game, with many parliaments and members engaged in strategic performance rather than substantive reform. Money, personal charm, and oratory skill are key to political success, while real achievements are limited—especially by the Labour party, which struggles to fulfill its promises. Buchanan profiles four Prime Ministers, highlighting their tact, accessibility, and rhetorical gifts, but concludes that political achievement is often less valued than the promise of achievement.

Literature and culture receive thoughtful attention, revealing a lack of a true national literature despite a rich literary instinct and education. Writers like Adam Lindsay Gordon and Marcus Clarke are noted for their contributions, though often not native-born or fully representative of a national voice. Australian poetry and prose tend toward brevity and flashiness, shaped by market demands and reader preferences. Buchanan identifies three literary schools—humorous descriptive, flippant (mainly women writers), and erotic poetry—and offers a detailed study of Gordon’s life and work, emphasizing his dual nature as a man of action and a melancholic dreamer. His poetry blends spontaneity, musicality, and a mix of action and fatalism, with “The Rhyme of Joyous Garde” standing out as a poetic summit.

The theatrical scene is described as derivative, with no native drama or dramatists of note. Australian theatres borrow plays, actors, and even theatre names from abroad, and local actors often seek recognition overseas to gain local approval. Audiences favor plays featuring social fashionability and moral unorthodoxy, often involving vice and its consequences. Musical comedy thrives as light amusement. Racing and gambling dominate as national recreation and vice, deeply ingrained in society. Women are portrayed as clever, adaptable, and socially skilled, playing complex roles ranging from political dabblers to aesthetes and athletes. Their romantic interactions are marked by artifice and charm, making them natural players in social and emotional games.

Buchanan vividly contrasts Sydney and Melbourne, personifying the cities to reveal their distinct characters. Sydney is warm, informal, and unambitious, with people who are good companions and socially relaxed. Melbourne is colder, more formal, fashion-conscious, and proud despite diminished prosperity. The author highlights Steele Rudd, a major Australian novelist known for his humorous and realistic depictions of rural life through characters like Dad, a ragged but optimistic figure. While Rudd’s style has been widely imitated, Buchanan critiques the limited character development and narrow focus on rural monotony, suggesting a need for broader literary representation.

The book also profiles notable poets and political leaders. Victor Daley’s imaginative but underappreciated poetry contrasts with Henry Lawson’s distinctly Australian temper and struggles. Louise Mack emerges as a promising woman poet blending strength and delicacy. Political figures such as Edmund Barton, Alfred Deakin, Chris Watson, and George Houston Reid are examined for their oratory, temperament, and political adaptability, revealing the complexities behind public personas and leadership.

Finally, Buchanan addresses the powerful influence of Imperialism in Australia. Imperialist sentiment, often sentimental and illogical, shapes political and social institutions, celebrated in public enthusiasm for British military victories. Yet a growing 'little Australian' identity emerges, skeptical of Imperial ties and critical of constitutional dependence on Britain. This figure is ambitious but politically marginal, shaped by English prejudices and social attitudes. The tension between Imperial loyalty and local nationalism reflects broader uncertainties about Australia’s future identity and place in the world.

Throughout, Buchanan’s tone is critical yet measured, blending irony, humor, and reflection. He invites readers to recognize contradictions within Australian life—the openness and exclusiveness, the ambition and lack of ideals, the cultural imitation and the search for originality. The Real Australia challenges readers to think beyond surface impressions and consider what new ideals and identities might shape the nation’s future.