is the Somers' neighbour in Sydney and introduces Richard Somers to Cooley – may have been based on a controversial Australian military figure, Major John Scott, who was both an associate of Rosenthal and an Old Guard official. Another central character is Willie Struthers, a left-wing activist reputed to have been based partly on Willem Siebenhaar, who made Lawrence's acquaintance in Western Australia. James Sharpe is said to have been based on the music critic and composer Cecil Gray. Influence and adaptations Kangaroo is sometimes cited as an influence on the Jindyworobak movement, an Australian nationalist literary group, which emerged about a decade later. Gideon Haigh saw fit to dub it "one of the sharpest fictional visions of the country and its people". It was adapted as a film, also called Kangaroo, in 1987, featuring Colin Friels as Somers, Judy Davis as Harriet and Hugh Keays-Byrne as Kangaroo. The Australian composer Peter Sculthorpe used extracts from the novel in his work for speaker and orchestra, The Fifth Continent (1963). It was recorded in 1963 by Fred Parslow, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Thomas Matthews, and then again in 1997 with the composer narrating, accompanied by Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and David Porcelijn - released on ABC Classics. Further reading D.H. Lawrence, Kangaroo (1994; originally published 1923), edited by Bruce Steele, New York: Cambridge University Press. Robert Darroch, D.H. Lawrence in Australia (1981), South Melbourne: Macmillan Co. of Australia. Joseph Davis, ''D. H. Lawrence at Thirroul: One Hundred Years On...: https://www.academia.edu/.../D_H_LAWRENCE_AT_THIRROUL_ONE... References External links Digital facsimile at the Internet Archive [https://www.academia.edu/.../D_H_LAWRENCE_AT_THIRROUL_ONE... 1923 British novels British novels adapted into films English novels Novels by D. H. Lawrence Novels set in New South Wales Martin Secker books