Leonard "Lennie" Waldemar Lower (24 September 1903 – 19 July 1947) was an Australian humorist who is still considered by many to be the comic genius of Australian journalism.

Life and career

Lower was born in

Dubbo Dubbo () is a city in the Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021. The city is located at the intersection of the Newell, Mitchell, and Gol ...

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. His father was a pharmacist and his mother was Florence McInerney. Educated in Sydney, Lower joined the army for a brief time before turning to journalism, where his talents as a humorist soon gained him a legion of dedicated fans and a place in Australian history. He wrote up to eight columns each week for a variety of newspapers in Sydney during the Depression and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Lennie Lower wrote the novel ''Here's Luck'' in 1929 (it was published in 1930). It deals with the twists and turns of

fate Destiny, sometimes referred to as fate (from Latin ''fatum'' "decree, prediction, destiny, fate"), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. Fate Although often ...

befalling Jack Gudgeon and his feckless son Stanley. After Jack's wife Agatha suddenly leaves them both go it on a wild rampage through Sydney's racecourses, gambling dens, pubs and cafes.

Cyril Pearl Cyril Alston Pearl (11 April 1904 – 3 March 1987) was an Australian journalist, editor, author, social historian, wit and television personality. Life and career He was born in the Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria on 11 April 1904, to Jewi ...

, a noted Sydney journalist and Lower's editor, described ''Here's Luck'' in the following terms: "It remains pre-eminently Australia's funniest book, as ageless as Pickwick or

Tom Sawyer Thomas Sawyer () is the titular character of the Mark Twain novel ''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (1876). He appears in three other novels by Twain: ''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1884), ''Tom Sawyer Abroad'' (1894), and ''Tom Sawyer, Dete ...

, a work of 'weird genius', as one reviewer put it, written by a '

Chaplin Chaplin may refer to: People * Charlie Chaplin (1889–1977), English comedy film actor and director * Chaplin (name), other people named Chaplin Films * '' Unknown Chaplin'' (1983) * ''Chaplin'' (film) (1992) * ''Chaplin'' (2011 film), Ben ...

of words'." Lower's

drinking Drinking is the act of ingesting water or other liquids into the body through the mouth, proboscis, or elsewhere. Humans drink by swallowing, completed by peristalsis in the esophagus. The physiological processes of drinking vary widely among o ...

was "legendary". hence the titles of his two best-known books. "Here's luck!" is a well-known Australian drinking

toast Toast most commonly refers to: * Toast (food), bread browned with dry heat * Toast (honor), a ritual in which a drink is taken Toast may also refer to: Places * Toast, North Carolina, a census-designated place in the United States Books * '' ...

, as is "Here's another!" In a column headed "Must Drink Beer" Lower announced that the "perfect job has been found":

beer tasting Beer tasting is a way to learn more about the history, ingredients and production of beer as well as different beer styles, hops, yeast and beer presentation. A common way is to analyse the appearance, smell and taste of the beer. Then a final judg ...

for a research institute. Lower's description of the domestic consequences of drunkenness and

hangover A hangover is the experience of various unpleasant physiological and psychological effects usually following the consumption of alcohol, such as wine, beer, and liquor. Hangovers can last for several hours or for more than 24 hours. Typical sympto ...

have the ring of long experience about them.''in Here's Another'' Lennie Lower wrote for many Australian newspapers and magazines, including ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...

'', ''

The Sunday Telegraph ''The Sunday Telegraph'' is a British broadsheet newspaper, founded in February 1961 and published by the Telegraph Media Group, a division of Press Holdings. It is the sister paper of ''The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', kn ...

'', The ''

Labor Daily The ''Labor Daily'' was a Sydney-based journal/newspaper of the early to mid 20th century. An organ of the Australian Labor Party, it was published in Sydney by Stanley Roy Wasson after the ailing ''Daily Mail'' was absorbed by Labor Papers Ltd, w ...

'' and ''

Smith's Weekly ''Smith's Weekly'' was an Australian tabloid newspaper published from 1919 to 1950. It was an independent weekly published in Sydney, but read all over Australia. History The publication took its name from its founder and chief financer Sir ...

'', until his death from cancer in Sydney in 1947 at the age of 43.

Books by Lennie Lower

* ''Here's Luck'' (1930) * ''Here's Another'' (1932) Other publications were collections of Lower's articles, selected by others, such as ''Lennie Lower's Annual: A Side-Splitter'', published by ''Smith's Weekly''.

References

Bibliography

''Here's Lower.'' (1983), selected and introduced by Tom Thompson, illustrated by Patrick Cook, with a memoir by Cyril Pearl. Hale & Iremonger. * Hornadge, Bill (1993), ''Lennie Lower: He Made a Nation Laugh''. Angus & Robertson. * Lower, Lennie (1930, reissued 1991), ''Here's Luck'', with cartoons by WEP (W.E. Pidgeon). Angus & Robertson. . * Lower, Lennie (2004). ''Here's Another''. Kessinger Publishing * Lower, Lennie (1990), ed. Cyril Pearl, ''The Best of Lennie Lower'', with cartoons by WEP (P.E. Pidgeon) Arkon/Angus & Robertson. . * Sheil, Pat (2003), article in the ''Sydney Morning Herald'', 20 September. * Julian Croft and Keith Willey (1986), "Lower, Leonard Waldemere (Lennie) (1903–1947)" in ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Volume 10. Melbourne University Press..

External links

Perry Middlemiss's Home Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lower, Lennie Journalists from Sydney Australian humorists 1903 births 1947 deaths 20th-century Australian novelists People from Dubbo Deaths from cancer in New South Wales Australian male novelists 20th-century Australian male writers 20th-century Australian journalists