Arcadian Adelaide

by Thistle Anderson

Scottish actress Thistle Anderson's firecracker of a polemic against her adopted hometown of Adelaide, was first published to roars of outrage and laughter in 1905.

This barbed satirical spray reveals the City of Churches as 'less holy than might be supposed', with more opium dens and prostitutes per capita than Melbourne, wines that are 'the worst ever made' (!), the local men 'caricatures' with inferior facial hair, the local women 'cats'. Thistle’s fondness is reserved for the fruit, the flour, the cabmen ... and the return ticket to Melbourne.

This hilarious little volume, intended by its author as 'a playful skit', is to be taken with a pinch of salt ... or perhaps savoured, stubbornly, with a glass of excellent Adelaide wine.

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1905

Reviews

[Sarah]

A fascinating slice of Adelaide history in the form of a blistering (I should say venomous) pamphlet lambasting the city, ostensibly in fun, but CLEARLY not. Whatever Thistle Anderson’s motives were, this is hilarious and cleverly written. Think Dorothy Parker letting you know how it REALLY is :-) It’s great that Derek Whitelock was able to resurrect this as it presents such a contrast to the laid back Adelaide of today. Thank you Zaida!

[Lisa]

Since I’m a Melburnian, it feels a bit brave to be reviewing Arcadian Adelaide. This vitriolic spray against the good folk of Adelaide was published as a pamphlet at the beginning of the 20th century in 1905, and it caused considerable outrage at the time. Packaged in this new edition with a foreword by Katie Spain and an essay on the historical context by Derek Whitelock, the pamphlet is only about 50 pages long but Thistle Anderson manages to insult almost every aspect of Australia’s most respectable city. As it says in Whitelock’s essay, Adelaide would have liked to dismiss her as an immigrant harpy, but no, she was a lady of character, style and note. (Austlit says she was even presented at court, which I reckon would have stymied her Adelaide critics who had to make do with being presented to the local MP or mayor).

Born in Scotland, Thistle Anderson was a beautiful and well-educated Scotswoman, of Kiplingesque imperial beliefs, much travelled, who confessed to two years on the stage and a love for adventure and vigorous outdoor life. She had published poetry in 1901 and 1902, and she went on to publish other works after this one. But this is the one she is famous for….

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2021/02/02/a...