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Gall, or beer

From Henry Lawson, by way of Don Watson:

My advice to any young Australian writer whose talents have been recognised would be to do steerage, stow away, swim, and seek London, Yankeeland, or Timbuctoo—rather than stay in Australia till his genius turn to gall, or beer. Or, failing this—and still in the interests of human nature and literature—to study elementary anatomy, especially as it applies to the cranium, then shoot himself carefully with the aid of a looking glass.

Joseph | 23 Jan 2004