Squeaker's Mate: Penguin Special

by Barbara Baynton

A classic short story from one Australia's most celebrated writers.

Squeaker, a selector, is slowly clearing his piece of the Australian bush. However, lazy and shiftless, he leaves most of the work to his uncomplaining and hardworking mate. When she is crushed under a falling yellow gum, Squeaker responds only with selfish impatience. Taught to endlessly endure by her harsh surroundings, Squeaker's mate carries the burden of her injury quietly, with only her old dog for comfort.

Published as part of Barbara Baynton's iconic collection Bush Studies in 1902, Squeaker's Mate is a visceral and lyrical story about the hostility faced by European settlers in the Australian bush during settlement. From an era when literature focused almost entirely on men and male experiences, Squeaker's Mate is an important depiction of the unique trials and strengths of women.

 

21 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1902

About the author

The child of Irish immigrants to Australia, Baynton promoted a version of her birth as the daughter of minor nobility. Her literary career began after her second marriage in 1890, to a retired surgeon twice her age. Baynton's short stories challenged the traditional 19th century view of colonial life in the Australian outback, by raising the plight of women and the dispossessed. The short story collection "Bush Studies" is routinely studied in Australian schools.

After the death of her husband, Baynton invested in the stock market and became chairman of the Law Book Company of Australasia, during which time she published her only novel, "Human Toll".

In 1921, Baynton married her third husband, the 5th Baron Headley, a convert to Islam and a claimant to the throne of Albania. The marriage suffered issues early; Baynton spent her final years in the Melbourne suburb of Toorak.

Reviews

[James Tierney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barbara Baynton's 'Squeaker's Mate' has the pitiless logic of a slasher film. Rescue just out of reach, sharp catharsis centering on wrong.
Read the rest of my take on Squeaker's Mate here: http://jamestierney.wordpress.com/201...

[Corey Zerna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dire, sad tale

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Freaky. Made me sad but also had a very satisfying ending.

[mabez · Rating 2 out of 5]

wtf

[Bookish Enchantment (Katherine Quirke) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Desperately sad yet horribly revealing. Showing how hard it is to live and work on the land in Australia.