Existing comment:
Novels:
Although Townsend earned his living from journalism, he always wanted to write literary works. His novels were historical fiction based on extensive research and the first-hand knowledge he gained visiting the sites of the events he portrayed. He interwove real people and events with the actions of his fictional characters, who often spoke in local dialects.
Poetry:
Townsend began writing poetry as a boy and continued to do so throughout his life. His poems ranged over a wide variety of historical, political, and personal topics. Although his work never achieved the acclaim he desired, it is considered typical of its era and was included in several anthologies.
"Although newspapers have been my bulrushes holding me up, poesy has been the Pharaoh's daughter, raising me."
-- Gath, in preface to Poems of Men and Events |