There’s a brand new bar on the scene in Adelaide, but it opened in 1943.
That’s right. In a cheeky nod to one of Australia’s most infamous literary hoaxes, the new bar Ern Malley promises to combine, wine, jazz, poetry and a love of history and the eccentric in one new Eastern suburbs hotspot.
You see, Ern Malley was a fictitious poet, the centrepiece of a 1940s scandal that duped the avant-garde literary journal “Angry Penguins” and its editor, Max Harris. Ern Malley was fabricated by two traditionalist poets, James McAuley and Harold Stewart, who were skeptical of the modernist movement and sought to expose what they saw as its gullibility and pretentiousness.
They created a body of work that was intentionally nonsensical and cobbled together from various sources, including army reports and Shakespearean quotes, all mashed into a semblance of modernist poetry.
They invented a backstory for Ern Malley, complete with a tragic life and an untimely death, and submitted the poems to Max Harris under the guise of Malley’s surviving sister. Harris, impressed by what he believed to be raw and undeveloped talent, published the poems in a special edition of “Angry Penguins.”
The true nature of the poems was soon revealed by McAuley and Stewart, who came forward and admitted that Ern Malley was a hoax. They declared that the works were deliberately bad and meant to challenge the standards of modernist poetry.
Max Harris, who had championed Malley’s work, was subjected to ridicule and even faced legal consequences. He was charged with publishing “indecent advertisements” due to some of the content in the poems and was fined £5.
Fast forward to today, and the spirit of Malley lives on, not in verse, but in a bar that wears its namesake with a wink and a nudge.
The brainchild of Paul Gallasch, a South Australian film producer, director and art gallery owner, whose late sister envisioned the concept, Ern Malley is less about the hoax and more about what it represents—a place that doesn’t take itself too seriously, where conversation and wine flow freely among the pages of books lining the walls.
“We spent a long time finding the right furniture. See, the theme of the place isn’t the 1940s, but that it started in the 1940s. So we wanted it to feel like the owners had tried to keep up with the times that kept on changing,” he said.
So, a pretty specific aesthetic. Or, rather, a distinct accumulation of aesthetics.
Ern Malley is a space where the modernist movement is both celebrated and gently mocked, where patrons can name their price for the books they peruse, and where the legacy of a hoax serves as a reminder that not everything is as it seems.
‘We’ve got photos on the wall that we found in the attic from when the place opened” Paul said, matter-of-factly. “Well dressed ladies and gentleman, smoking inside, naturally. There were famous literary figures there, on the night, and you can see for yourselves as you wander through the bar,” he said.
“People are responding really, really well. It has been a real cross-generational crowd, which has been awesome.”
But, of course, the bar’s offerings are nothing of a hoax.
“We have an extensive wine list… lots of Australian stuff but also several old-world options. We have connections with a lot of the wineries on the menu, so it’s a nice personal touch.”
Gallasch also slings classic cocktails behind the bar, in typical old-fashioned style, out of stunning crystal glasses that he has collected.
The food is also a nod to the wartime vibe, with its pure simplicity.
“We have cheese toasties and charcuterie boards all the time, but on Friday and Saturday nights we have one pot cooking.”
That is, one pot. For the bar. No menu. No fuss.
“Last weekend we did a mushroom risotto, and then the next day we did a beautiful chilli con carne. We tend to figure it out the day before,” Paul laughed.
It’s not just about the drinks; the bar is set to become a artsy, literary hub with regular poetry and fiction readings, and discussions on city planning and Adelaide’s future. Music is part of the ambiance, with piano tunes on Friday evenings and small jazz ensembles adding to the mix on Saturdays.
Open from Wednesday to Friday, 4 pm until late, and Saturday from 8 am, Ern Malley invites you to step in, grab a glass, and engage with the city’s latest paradox.
Who knows, you might just leave with a book under your arm and a story to tell.
Ern Malley
Where: 137 Magill Rd, Stepney SA 5069
When: Wednesday to Saturday 4pm – late (Saturdays from 8am)
For more information, head here.
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