The Harp in the South

Angus & Robertson

Industry	Publishing
Headquarters	Sydney , Australia
Products	Books

The Harp in the South marks the first novel by Ruth Park, an Australian writer originally from New Zealand. Released in 1948, the book portrays the experiences of a Catholic Irish Australian family residing in Surry Hills, a Sydney neighborhood that was considered an inner-city slum at the time.

Publication History

Initially, The Harp in the South appeared as a serial in the Sydney Morning Herald, published in twelve consecutive daily segments beginning on 4 January 1947. The novel was selected as the winner of a competition that attracted 175 submissions and awarded a £2,000 prize.

Before its serialization, the story generated considerable debate, eliciting numerous letters both supporting and opposing its content; the newspaper logged sixty-eight letters in favor and fifty-four against. Although publisher Angus & Robertson was hesitant at first, they fulfilled their commitment to publish the winning entry by issuing it as a book in 1948.

Since then, the novel has achieved classic status and continues to be printed without interruption.

Characters

Hughie Darcy:
Hughie, married to Margaret Darcy, frequently indulges in heavy drinking after work hours. Despite their religious differences—he being Catholic and his friend Patrick Diamond Protestant—they maintain a close friendship. Hughie dreams of escaping Surry Hills for rural life but feels obligated to support his family.
Margaret “Mumma” Darcy:
A devout Catholic mother to Rowena and Dolour, she often finds herself at odds with their Protestant lodger, Patrick Diamond, especially over religious matters.
Rowena "Roie" Darcy:
Married to Charlie Rothe and mother to their daughter Moira (“Motty”), Rowena faces hardship after Tommy Mendel abandons her following a brief affair. She secretly holds two jobs to afford an abortion but ultimately cannot go through with it. Later, she endures a violent assault resulting in the loss of her pregnancy.
Charlie Rothe:
Thought to have Aboriginal heritage, Charlie was taken from his biological parents as an infant and raised in an institution. Though Rowena accepts him wholeheartedly, Margaret struggles with his presence, and Dolour resents him for marrying her sister.
Dolour Darcy:
The youngest of the Darcy children, Dolour is intelligent and determined to leave Surry Hills by pursuing education. She shares a close bond with her niece Motty and forms a friendship with Lick Jimmy, a local Chinese greengrocer.
Patrick Diamond:
The Protestant lodger living with the Darcy family who frequently drinks and verbally abuses Mrs. Darcy on St. Patrick’s Day. After suffering a stroke, Lick Jimmy performs an emergency bloodletting to relieve pressure, unaware that Patrick had been struck earlier by a drunken Hughie.
Miss Sheily:
Mother of Johnny Sheily, who has disabilities, she is abusive toward him and seems relieved upon his accidental death. Later, she is seen grieving deeply before eventually marrying a Swedish man named Gunnarson.

Sequel and prequel

Ruth Park followed The Harp in the South with its sequel Poor Man's Orange in 1949. A prequel titled Missus was published later in 1985.

1949 stage adaptation

Refer to The Harp in the South (play) for information on the theatrical version.

1951 radio dramatization

Refer to The Harp in the South (radio serial) for details.

1964 British television adaptation

See The Harp in the South (British TV play) for more information.

1986 television miniseries

In 1986, The Harp in the South was transformed into a miniseries by Eleanor Witcombe, with production led by Anthony Buckley and direction by George Whaley. It aired on Network Ten. The follow-up novel, Poor Man's Orange, was also adapted into a miniseries released in 1987. Both series were later issued together as a three-disc DVD set by Roadshow Entertainment.

Principal cast

Actor	Character
Anne Phelan	Mumma Darcy
Martyn Sanderson	Hughie Darcy
Anna Hruby	Roie Darcy
Kaarin Fairfax	Dolour Darcy
Gwen Plumb	Grandma Kilker
Syd Conabere	Pat Diamond
Melissa Jaffer	Miss. Sheily
Shane Connor	Charlie Rothe
Brandon Burke	Tommy Mendel
Ken Radley	Johnny Sheily
Lois Ramsay	Mrs. Campion
Cecil Parkee	Lick Jimmy
Carole Skinner	Delie Stock
Charles Tingwell	Father Cooley
John Clayton	Jim
Lyn Collingwood	Nursing Sister

2014 theatrical script adaptation

Between 2013 and 2014, G.bod Theatre collaborated with the NIDA Independent to create a fresh stage adaptation of Ruth Park's novel—marking the first authorized version by her estate since 1949. This work-in-progress was presented to a select audience at NIDA but has not yet been publicly performed.

2018 theatrical production

Kate Mulvany crafted a two-part, six-hour stage adaptation encompassing The Harp in the South, its prequel, and sequel. This production debuted at the Sydney Theatre Company, Roslyn Packer Theatre, in August 2018 under the direction of Kip Williams.

External links

• Harp in the South at Australian Screen Online