Don Bradman: Challenging the Myth

Description

This fascinating book takes a very different look at Australia's most popular sporting hero, Sir Donald Bradman. Unlike the mostly reverent literature on 'The Don', this 2003 book explains how his iconic status was created and sustained, and what his popularity and heroism say about the meaning of Australian nationhood. Brett Hutchins' unique analysis reveals the mythical character of so many representations of The Don, and connects them to broader social phenomena and the cultural contexts in which they were created. Hutchins considers the many ways in which Bradman has been represented - as a symbol of Australian masculinity, as the quintessential Australian boy from the bush, as the 'battler', and as the hero at a distance from the political. Hutchins is able to show that many of the truisms we take for granted about Bradman and his role in Australian culture are open to challenge.

Brett Hutchins has published on various social and cultural issues in Australian sport, as well as commenting on the Bradman phenomenon in the media. He teaches sociology at the University of Tasmania.

'Much seems to have been written about Sir Donald Bradman; in fact, it is mostly the same things repeated endlessly. Brett Hutchins' book is different. It is a timely, fresh and judicious appraisal of the idea of Bradman in Australian culture, written in a sceptical but respectful way. I heartily recommend it.' Gideon Haigh 'A challenging revision of the myth of Don Bradman.' Graeme Turner