Kangaroo

Kangaroo is a novel by D. H. Lawrence, first published in 1923. Set largely in Australia, it follows an English writer and his wife as they encounter a society marked by political tension and competing visions of social order.

After arriving in Sydney, Richard Somers becomes acquainted with members of a nationalist political movement led by a charismatic figure known as Kangaroo. Drawn into conversations about authority, democracy, loyalty, and social change, he finds himself both fascinated by and resistant to the movement's ideas.

As Somers moves between political groups and personal relationships, he struggles with questions of individual freedom, belonging, and the desire for a stronger sense of community. His encounters force him to examine his own beliefs while remaining wary of collective ideologies.

Combining political debate with personal conflict and descriptions of the Australian landscape, Kangaroo explores power, identity, nationalism, and the tension between personal independence and political commitment.

"A bunch of workmen were lying on the grass of the park beside Macquarie Street, in the dinner hour. It was winter, the end of May, but the sun was warm, and they lay there in shirt-sleeves, talking. Some were eating food from paper packages."