Banjo
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Banjo
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Narrated by:
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Peter Byrne
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By:
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Grantlee Kieza
About this listen
Balladeer, bushman, soldier, foreign correspondent - the remarkable life of Australia's greatest storyteller.
A. B. ‘Banjo’ Paterson is rightly recognised as Australia’s greatest storyteller and most celebrated poet, the boy from the bush who became the voice of a generation. He gave us our unofficial national anthem, ‘Waltzing Matilda’, and treasured ballads such as ‘The Man from Snowy River’ and ‘Clancy of the Overflow’, vivid creations that helped to define our national identity.
But there is more, much more, to Banjo’s story, and in this landmark biography, award-winning writer Grantlee Kieza chronicles a rich and varied life, one that straddled two centuries and saw Australia transform from a far-flung colony to a fully fledged nation.
Born in the bush, as a child Banjo rode his pony to a one-room school along a trail frequented by outlaw Ben Hall. As a young man he befriended Breaker Morant and covered the second Boer War as a reporter. He fudged his age to enlist during World War I, ultimately driving an ambulance before commanding a horse training unit during that conflict.
Newspaper editor, columnist, foreign correspondent and ABC broadcaster, he knew countless luminaries of his time, including Rudyard Kipling, Winston Churchill, Field Marshal Haig and Henry Lawson. The tennis ace, notorious ladies’ man, brilliant jockey and celebrated polo player was an eyewitness to countless key moments in Australian history and saw Carbine and Phar Lap race.
Extensively researched and written with Kieza’s trademark verve, Banjo is a lively and captivating portrait of this truly great Australian.
©2018 Grantlee Kieza (P)2018 BolindaWhat listeners say about Banjo
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kristen
- 25-11-2020
Great book!
It was really interesting, to hear Banjo’s story. It was also beautifully read, but it’s just a bit of a shame the narrator didn’t check the pronunciation of some of the NSW place names! It seems he may be a Victorian or South Australian. Molong, Muswellbrook, Castlereagh and Quirindi were standout examples. Overall, well executed.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 05-04-2023
More than just Banjos Story
A wonderful historical read / listen. So much background and insight into the early settlers days and the unforgiving Australian bush. I learnt a lot more about Lawson also. The epilogue bought tears to my eyes and leant weight to the how enduring Banjo is in the lives of many Australians.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Robert John Elsworth
- 14-02-2019
Opened my eyes to an exceptional Aussie
Absolutely adore his literary works and his enduring legacy to our wonderful country. Now I’m the full bottle on what kind of man he was. A truly inspirational human being. Thank you Graham Kieza for your thorough research and creativity in writing this exceptional account of Banjo’s life.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 07-11-2020
Very detailed
The story is good but a little too detailed. it should have been cut by about 20%
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Steve
- 06-08-2021
Enjoyable, with a couple of gripes.
I did enjoy this audio book, but I found myself not wanting to give it 5 stars due to two concerns. Although this book is about Banjo, I found it would enter into long section about other characters, making it sometimes hard to follow. There is great sections about Henry Lawson, which were actually quite interesting, but were much longer than they needed to be. In saying that, a book that was to cover the life of both authors in parallel would be quite a good one. A smaller issue, but none the less an issue were the narators inability to pronounce certain Australian place name. Scone a Quirindi were two in particular, that I found quite grating, but other than that the reading is quite well done. Again, I found this to be very interesting and enjoyed learning about this great character, and the book covers the life of Banjo very well...
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 13-11-2018
Very Interesting
This is a very interesting biography which details otherwise unknown facts regarding Banjo Patterson's colourful life. Having Henry Lawson's life described alongside that of Banjo's was doubly interesting. I thought it was a little slow to begin with but the description of Banjo's family lineage was necessary early on in order to give meaning to Banjo's tilt on life. The difference between Banjo's career opportunities and those of Henry Lawson's could not have been more marked. The narration was clear and enthusiastic. Overall I found this book to be a worthwhile listen.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Infragelis
- 14-10-2024
Magnificent historical account
Loved everything. This had me from page one. Perfect narration; gripping timeline. One of my top ten favourite books ever. Thank you for keeping Banjo’s legacy alive.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Suzanne
- 10-01-2021
Fabulous
Such and interesting life he had a lot of
Which I didn’t know, I really enjoyed learning so much about his life and the history of Australia and some of its other famous characters that were part of Banjos life. Highly recommend.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Vicki Reeves
- 26-01-2021
A fascinating life
Though the narrative wanders off to discuss various contemporaries of Paterson along the way, somewhat unnecessarily, the biography is both impressive and fascinating. I have a newfound respect for this great Australian author: seemingly by the force of his character he led a life that saw him succeeding in whatever field of human achievement to which he turned his mind. So glad I came across this book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Hugh
- 14-09-2019
Great Story. Small problem with narration
I have always been fascinated by the life of Banjo who was a first cousin of my grandmother. I have lived and worked in most of the locations. I loved the story. One small criticism. The narrator mispronounced nearly every Australian location mentioned in the book.
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1 person found this helpful