Power Without Glory
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First edition
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| Author | Frank J. Hardy |
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| Language | English |
| Genre | Thriller, novel |
| Publisher | Realist Printing & Publishing Co |
| Publication date | 1950 |
| Publication place | Australia |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 669 pp |
| ISBN | 0-09-184206-9 |
| OCLC | 47707257 |
Power Without Glory is a 1950 historical novel written by Australian author Frank Hardy, following the life and ambitions of John West, a politician born into a working-class family who rises to prominence in Australian federal politics.
Following the novel's publication, Ellen Wren, the wife of bookmaker and businessman John Wren sued Hardy for criminal libel, claiming that the characters of John West and his wife Nellie were modelled on the Wrens, and that Nellie's affair in the novel was libellous to Ellen Wren.[1] Ultimately Hardy was cleared and publication allowed.[2]
Publication
The work was originally self-published, with illustrations by "Amb" Dyson, a friend of Hardy, with the subtitle "a novel in three parts by Frank J. Hardy, Ross Franklyn". "Ross Franklyn" was the pseudonym Hardy had always used prior to Power Without Glory. This combination of real name and pen name was also used in Hardy's 1961 book The Hard Way, which described the difficulties "Ross Franklyn" had in having the book published, and the problems Hardy faced in answering the criminal libel charge against him arising from the publication.[3]
Hardy was a member of the Communist Party of Australia, which featured in the novel as the enemy of the protagonist; and the work was completed whilst at Camp Eureka in 1949.[4] After the novel's publication, Hardy unsuccessfully ran for office as a member of the Communist Party.[5]
Hardy wrote in his later work, The Hard Way, that he felt dissatisfied with the final chapters of the novel. In his desire to complete the long work at a manageable length for publication, and with the threats regarding the novel's publication, Hardy felt the final chapters were hurried.
The publication of Power Without Glory and its success was credited as being linked to the creation of the Australasian Book Society, which Hardy was key to founding.[6]
Plot
Power Without Glory follows the life of John West, who is born into an impoverished family in the fictitious Melbourne suburb of Carringbush, which is based on the suburbs of Abbotsford and Collingwood. When the novel opens, in 1893, West is twenty-four years old and already involved in criminal activities including gambling and bookmaking. The novel follows West's life as he rises to be a highly ambitious businessman and corrupt politician, as a powerbroker for the Australian Labor Party.
The novel is partly set during World War I, and the debate about conscription is a major issue in the novel. West is a fierce patriot who supports conscription, and his sometimes fiery arguments with the Irish-Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne, who opposes conscription on the grounds that to send men to aid England was contrary to his, and Ireland's, historical enmity with that country.
West's family dramas are many: his brother Arthur spends time in jail for aiding and abetting a crime of rape, West's wife Nellie has an affair with a tradesman and falls pregnant with his child, and his daughter becomes a member of the Communist Party of Australia in the years after the War.
West's relationship with Communism is a hateful one, and he heavily finances the efforts of the (real life) anti-communist, Roman Catholic B. A. Santamaria. This crusade damages both his family fortunes and his marriage, and continues until West's death as an old man in 1950.
Characters
The novel can be considered a Roman à clef, or a novel in which many of the characters correlate with real-life figures of the time, including Victorian Premier Sir Thomas Bent and Prime Minister James Scullin.
The following list attempts to align Power Without Glory characters with real historical persons who may have been inspirational to the author. Recognisable features do not necessarily imply any attempt at an exact correlation. Hardy himself conceded or even affirmed some such correlations, but stated in The Hard Way that many such lists were being created and passed around by parties without his involvement, perhaps even without his knowledge.
<tbody> </tbody>| Novel character | Real-life person | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family name | First name | Possible correlation | Occupation | |
| Ashton | Frank | Frank Anstey | Labor politician and social propagandist | |
| Bacon | Snowy | Reginald Leslie (Snowy) Baker | fight promoter, sportsman, actor, soldier, and journalist ('versatile') | |
| Bennett | The Gentleman Thief | Hon. W.J. Beckett | MLC for Melbourne North, Melbourne East & Melbourne | [7] |
| Blackwell | Maurice | Maurice Blackburn | State Labor MP for Essendon, Fitzroy & Clifton Hill; Federal Labor MP for Bourke | |
| Blaire | Sir Thomas Blamey | Army general and Victorian Police Commissioner, 1925–1936 | ||
| Bond | Thomas | Sir Thomas Bent | 32nd Premier of Victoria, 1904–1909 | |
| Bradley | Richard | Richard Buckley | A notorious gunman and murderer | |
| Brady | William | Bill Barry | State Labor MP for Carlton; minister in various Cain Governments | |
| Callinan | Police Commissioner | Thomas O'Callaghan | Victorian Police Commissioner, 1902–1913 | |
| Cameron | Campbell | Cycling promoter exhibition | ||
| Carr | John | John Cain | Leader of Victorian Labor Party; Premier on three occasions | |
| Conn | Archbishop | Thomas Carr | Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne, 1886–1917 | |
| Cregan | J. | Jack Cremean | Federal Labor MP for Hoddle | |
| Cutting | Slasher | John "Snowy" Cutmore | Gunman and thief | |
| Darby | Lou | Les Darcy | Boxer | |
| Davison | Alfie | Sir Albert Dunstan | Conservative Victorian Premier, 1935–1943 | |
| Devlin | Dr | Sir Hugh Devine | ||
| Dwyer | Godfrey | Sir Gilbert Dyett | Long-serving President of the Returned and Services League of Australia | |
| Gardside | David | David Gaunson | Prominent criminal barrister | |
| Gibbon | Sir S. | Sir Samuel Gillott | , Chief Secretary in the Bent Cabinet | |
| Horan | Ned | Ned Hogan | Labor Premier of Victoria on two occasions | |
| Joggins | Rev. | Reverend G. Judkins | A prominent anti-vice crusader; preacher | |
| Jolly | Bob | Bob Solly | State Labor MP for Carlton | |
| Kelleher | Paddy | Pat Kennelly | MLC for Melbourne West; Federal Labor Secretary | |
| Kiely | Michael | Standish Michael Keon | State MP for Richmond; later Federal MP for Yarra | |
| Lamb | Richard | Dick Lean | Manager of Melbourne Stadium | |
| Lambert | Percy | Percy Laidler | Theatrical supplier of 201 Bourke St; prominent socialist | |
| Lammence | Frank | Frank Laurence | ||
| Lane | Jack Lang | NSW Labor leader; Premier of New South Wales | ||
| Lassiter | family | Loughnan family | ||
| Levy | Ben | Ben Nathan | Founder of Maples Store | |
| McCorkell | William McCormack | Labor Premier of Queensland | ||
| Malone | Daniel | Dr. Daniel Mannix | Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne, 1917–1963 | |
| Manson | "Plugger" Pete | "Plugger" Bill Martin | Cyclist | |
| Morton | Fim | Jim Morley | Communist organiser; journalist with the Morning Post | |
| Murkett | Kenneth | Sir Keith Murdoch | Journalist and newspaper proprietor | |
| O'Flaherty | Dave | Detective O'Donnell | Chief of Gaming Squad, Victoria Police | |
| Parelli | Pellegrini | |||
| Parker | Clive | Clyde Palmer | Journalist with The Truth newspaper | |
| Piggy | Piggy Ryan, alias Williamson | A gunman and standover man | ||
| Real | T. J. | T. J. Ryan | Premier of Queensland | |
| Redmond | Ron | Ron Richards | Aboriginal boxer | |
| Renfrey | Sugar | Robert "Sugar" Roberts | Mayor of Collingwood | |
| Robinson | Barney | Barney Reynolds | ||
| Sandow | Ad Santel | A champion wrestler | ||
| Scatt | Bob | Bob Solly | ||
| Solomon | Sol | Sol. Green | A big bookmaker | |
| Squeers | Bill | Bill Squires | A boxer | |
| Summer | James | James Scullin | Labor MP; Prime Minister, 1929–1932 | |
| Swinton | Sir George Swinburne | An engineer, politician and philanthropist | ||
| Tanner | Snoopy | Squizzy Taylor | A gunman and thief | |
| Thurgood | "Red Ted" Theodore | Labor Premier of Queensland; 1919–1925, Federal Treasurer; mining and business magnate | ||
| Tinn | Ted | Ted Thye | Bogus champion wrestler | |
| Trumblewood | Thomas | Tom Tunnecliffe | Labor MP for Collingwood; Speaker, 1937–1940 | |
| Watty | Jim | Jack Welsh | Secretary, Milk Distribution Association | |
| West | family | Wren family | ||
| Williams | Detective | Harry Herbert Wilson | A detective with Victoria Police | |
| Wodman | Paddy | Paddy Boardman | ||
Locations
| Novel location | Real-life location | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Apsom | Epsom Racecourse, Mordialloc | |
| Bagville Street | Sackville Street, Collingwood | |
| Carringbush | Collingwood | |
| Chirraboo | Chillagoe, Queensland | |
| Jackson Street | Johnston Street, Fitzroy and Collingwood | |
| Ralstone | Richmond | [a] |
| Richton | Richmond Racecourse | |
| Royal Oak Hotel | Royal Mail Hotel | |
| Silver Street | Gold Street, Collingwood |
Court case
Hardy was tried for criminal libel in 1951 on the basis of the depiction in the novel of West's wife having an affair but he was acquitted by jury, after putting a number of arguments and cross-examining witnesses. It was the last prosecution for criminal (as opposed to civil) libel in Victoria.
The case attracted enormous publicity, coinciding as it did with the anti-Communist referendum and served mainly to give the novel and any negative portrayal of Wren greater prominence. Hardy readily conceded that he had published the work, and so the defense was built on the remaining two points, of whether the informant Ellen Wren was in fact identical with the character Nellie West, and if so, whether in fact the publication was defamatory.
Witnesses had testified that they recognized Ellen in the character of Nellie, and that she had been defamed. Hardy's successful defense, as described in The Hard Way, argued that while the character of John West had character traits of John Wren, he was also an amalgam of ideas, with many events in the story not correlating to Wren's life. Hardy argued that if John Wren was not solely based on John West, then the character's wife could not solely be based on Ellen Wren. Hardy was acquitted of all charges, and the novel was published to a wider audience than its initial publication.
Historians have debated whether Ellen Wren did actually have an affair and conceive an illegitimate son, as in the novel. In The Hard Way, Hardy denied ever having spoken to any member of the Wren family during his extensive research for the book, claiming the affair was entirely fictional. However, in 2005, Monash University academic Jenny Hocking claimed to have discovered archival material supporting the argument that Ellen Wren did indeed have an affair with a tradesperson, and that Hardy may have had knowledge of the affair.[9]
TV series adaptation
In 1976, the novel was made into a 26-episode ABC-TV series starring Martin Vaughan as West.[10][11] While Nellie's affair with the brickie is depicted, the affair does not produce a child. The series won numerous Logie, Penguin and Sammy Awards.[12][13]
Cast
- Martin Vaughan as John West
- Wendy Hughes as Mary West
- Terence Donovan as Frank Lammence
- Rosalind Speirs as Nellie Moran / Nellie West
- George Mallaby as Barney Robinson
- Patsy King as Vera Maguire
- Leila Hayes as Florrie Robinson
- Gus Mercurio as Sparring Partner / Bill Timms
- Graham Kennedy as Clive Parker
- Frank Wilson as Tom Trumbleward
- Tony Bonner as Brendan West
- Vivean Gray as Jane
- Brian Blain as Peter Wells
- Ken Wayne as Ted Thurgood
- Reg Gorman as Priest
- Norman Kaye as Ned Horan / Prosecuting Sergeant
- Sean Scully as Eddie Corrigan
- Jonathan Hardy as Paddy Kelleher / Rev. Joggins
- Peter Cummins as Detective Sergeant O'Flaherty
- Graeme Blundell as Snoopy Tanner
- Terry Norris as Ron Lassiter
- Elspeth Ballantyne as Dorothy Wells
- Sue Jones as Bridget
- Tristan Rogers
- Fay Kelton
Other books
Hardy wrote several books examining his experiences arising from writing Power Without Glory, including The Hard Way: The Story Behind Power without Glory (1961), Who Shot George Kirkland?: A Novel About the Nature of Truth (1981), and But the Dead are Many: A Novel in Fugue Form (1975). In these a central theme is the ambiguity between truth and fiction.
See also
Notes
- ^ There has been a Ralston St in South Yarra, across the river from Richmond, since 1857.[8]
References
- ^ "Witness 'Would Have Liked To Kill Hardy'". The Argus. Melbourne. 17 January 1951. Retrieved 6 July 2020 – via Trove. National Library of Australia.
- ^ Griffin, James (2006) [1990]. "Wren, John". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 12. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
- ^ "The living are few, Frank tells us, But The Dead Are Many" (PDF). Trojan Press. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ^ "Camp Eureka (Place ID 103729)". Australian Heritage Database. Australian Government. n.d. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
- ^ Lennon, Troy (21 March 2017). "Power of Frank Hardy's words won glory for working class". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
- ^ McLaren, John (1996). Writing in Hope and Fear: Literature as Politics in Postwar Australia. Cambridge University Press. p. 35. ISBN 9780521567565.
- ^ "William James Beckett (Appointed C.B.E in January 1953.)". Re-Member: a database of all Victorian MPs since 1851. Parliament of Victoria. Archived from the original on 23 April 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
- ^ [1]
- ^ Steger, Jason (12 November 2005). "Mrs Wren and the brickie: the veil lifted". The Age. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ^ Power Without Glory at IMDb
- ^ Hardy, Frank (1961). The Hard Way (1976 ed.). Fontana.
- ^ "Power Without Glory". Memorable TV. Archived from the original on 18 January 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ^ "Logie Awards 1974-177". australiantelevision.net. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
External links
- Griffin, James. "Wren, John (1871–1953)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- Hocking, Jenny (2005). Frank Hardy : politics, literature, life. Melbourne: Lothian. ISBN 9780734408365.
- Macintyre, Stewart (1998). The Reds: The Communist Party of Australia from Origins to Illegality. St. Leonards, N.S.W: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1864485809.
- Hollywood Ten, Melbourne One, 1985, Daryl Dellora, CA Film and TV Digital Archive Project, Published on YouTube 31 May 2016.