The Golden Shanty (short story)

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"The Golden Shanty" is a humorous short story by Australian writer Edward Dyson. It was first published in the 24 December 1887 issue of The Bulletin,[1] and later included in the author's short story collection, Below and On Top, and in many short story anthologies.[2] It was originally published under the title "The Profitable Pub". It is also known by the title "A Golden Shanty".[2]

"The Golden Shanty"
Short story by Edward Dyson
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
Publication
Published inThe Bulletin
Publication typePeriodical
Media typePrint
Publication date24 December 1887

Plot summary

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The Shamrock Hotel stands on an abandoned goldfield near Ballarat in Victoria. It is owned by Irish-Australian publication Michael Doyle. After some local Chinese fossickers offer him £50 for the building, which he accepts, Doyle discovers that the hotel is made from high-yielding, gold-bearing clay bricks.

Further publications

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  • A Golden Shanty: Australian Stories and Sketches in Prose and Verse, Bulletin, 1890[3]
  • Below and On Top, George Robertson, 1898
  • The Golden Shanty, George Robertson, 1911
  • Australian Short Stories edited by George Mackaness, J. M. Dent, 1928
  • The Bulletin, 1 February 1950[4]
  • Favourite Australian Stories edited by Colin Thiele, Rigby, 1963
  • The Golden Shanty, Angus and Robertson, 1963
  • Short Stories of Australia: The Lawson Tradition edited by Douglas Stewart, Angus and Robertson, 1967
  • Best Australian Short Stories edited by Douglas Stewart and Beatrice Davis, Lloyd O' Neill, 1971
  • It Could Be You edited by Hal Porter, Rigby, 1972
  • The Penguin Best Australian Short Stories edited by Mary Lord, Penguin, 1991
  • The Penguin Book of 19th Century Australian Literature edited by Michael Ackland, Penguin, 1993
  • From Yellow Earth to Eucalypt: Stories and Poems from China and Australia edited by Neil Whitfield, Longman, 1995

The story was also reprinted in a number of Australian newspapers.

Critical reception

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  • The Oxford Companion to Australian Literature calls the story "one of Australia's most famous goldfields stories", and then goes on to state: "Despite its humour, 'A Golden Shanty' reflects the hostility that existed between white men and the Chinese on the goldfields.'"[5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ ""A Profitable Pub" by Edward Dyson". The Bulletin, 24 December 1887, pp5-6. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Austlit — "The Golden Shanty" by Edward Dyson". Austlit. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  3. ^ "A Golden Shanty: Australian Stories and Sketches in Prose and Verse (Bulletin)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  4. ^ ""A Profitable Pub" by Edward Dyson". The Bulletin, 1 February 1950, pp18-20. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  5. ^ The Oxford Companion to Australian Literature edited by Wilde, Hooton and Andrews, 2nd edition, p300