The Harp in the South is the debut novel by Australian author Ruth Park. Published in 1948, it portrays the life of a Catholic Irish Australian family living in the Sydney suburb of Surry Hills, which was at that time an inner city slum.
The Harp in the South was published, initially, in the Sydney Morning Herald in twelve daily instalments, beginning on 4 January 1947, after winning a competition run by that newspaper.[1] The prize was £2,000, and there were 175 entires.[1]

It was controversial, with readers writing to the newspaper, on the basis of the synopsis, even before the serialisation started. Delia Falconer writes that The Herald published “forty-three responses, a symposium, and a daily tally of pro and con letters (sixty-eight for; fifty-four against)”.[1] It was published in book form in 1948 by Angus & Robertson, who baulked at the novel but “had to honour a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ to publish the winner”.[1]

Nonetheless, it has become a classic and has never been out of print.[1]

229p. ; 22cm. #130222
Rosina Ruth Lucia Park AM (24 August 191714 December 2010)The Australian, 18 December 2010She always refused to confirm the actual date, and the published information varies from 1917 to 1924 (Source: Pegasus Book Orphanage) was a New Zealand–born Australian author. Her best known works are the novels The Harp in the South (1948) and Playing Beatie Bow (1980), and the children’s radio serial The Muddle-Headed Wombat (1951–1970), which also spawned a book series (1962–1982).