Alison, it would be hard to go pass the small poetry journals that
appeared in the early to mid 1970s (at least in Sydney.) John Tranter
should hopefully have more accurate memories then I but it would be hard
to underestimate the influence these small journals had on young artists
and poets of these times and to the extent that I question the claim
that the Ern Malley affair had severely set back Australian modernist
literature. I now think this claim is wrong.
For example; I forget the name of the small journal the below was
published in:
Martin Johnston, In Transit — a Sonnet Square
http://jacketmagazine.com/01/mj-in-transit.htm
Also, New Poetry; I seem to remember Dorothy Featherstone Porter had a
poem called "Red sports car afternoon" published in a pink coloured
covered edition?
I wish I still had these journals on my bookshelves but the wild nomadic
lifestyle I had lived until these more sedate times makes such not
possible. And right now, I simply must go back to reading Martin
Johnston, a rather important poet in my estimation.
best, Chris Jones.
On Tue, 2009-02-24 at 17:13 +1100, Alison Croggon wrote:
> Out of curiosity: (and also because I am writing an essay and am
> coming up hard against this one)
>
> What do you think when you see or hear the phrase "Australian poetry"?
> What does it call up? Does it mean anything at all?
>
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