Last week I talked to Richard Adey on Radio National’s Life Matters about Larrikins: A History, the book due out with the University of Queensland Press early next year. Here is what the program’s website says about it:
For more than a century the term ‘larrikin’ has played into the myth about what it means to be an Australian male.
Melissa Bellanta traces the term larrikin from its derogatory meaning in the late 1800s, through to its positive reinvention in World War 1, to its heyday in 1970s Australian cinema.
But Dr Bellanta, from the University of Queensland, speculates the term may die out with the last of the baby boomers.
Here, too, is a podcast of the interview: http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/2011/06/lms_2
I don’t hear that term very often nowadays. Maybe it will die out soon.but who knows, right? Well, Melissa took some time to study about Larrikins so we’ll expect an enlightenment about them.
Australian Larrikins – Launching soon. Congratulations Melissa!