Lawson was an nationalist and republican, and he wanted Australia to become and independent nation. Lawson wrote many stories and articles for "The Bulletin". He used the Australian language in his stories. From the 1890s he suffered from alcoholism and mental illness which meant he did not write as much in his later years. He never had much money, and spent time in Darlinghurst Gaol and psychiatric institutions. After he died in 1922 following a cerebral haemorrhage, Lawson became the first Australian writer to be granted a state funeral.