Poetry

The Aviary by Peter Skrzynecki & Recognitions by Evan Jones

May 1979, no. 10

Geoff Page reviews 'Recognitions' by Evan Jones and 'The Aviary' by Peter Skrzynecki

Probably not too many would quarrel with Evan Jones’ light-hearted description of himself as ‘one of our twenty best-known poets under forty in some views…’ Though closer now to fifty than forty, Jones in his three books so far has shown himself to be one of those academic poets of great fluency in traditional forms, capable of whipping up a cigar-and-port entertainment at a moment’s notice – but also capable of genuinely moving poems.

... (read more)

Words & Classes on Having Words by Chris Mann

by Roger McDonald •

September 1978, no. 4

At a lucid moment in this otherwise obscure document the author writes: ‘It strikes me that each piece is more or less obvious and I hope I’m not writing in code – suppose there’s no way to tell.’ Never has the shotgun theory had such a devout adherent. If the author can’t tell, what hope has the reader? The best one can wish for Words and Classes is that it is a deliberately nonsensical fraud, concocted by part-time schizophrenics at Outback Press. Here are the opening three lines: ‘an opportunist on crossing out the case: mind the spelling/ on trying to sell credit to he who has none: if I had the time, I’d ask you / to commit your sums you need take your fingers out of your mouth’.

... (read more)

Over the Frontier by Rosemary Dobson & Words With a Black Orpington by David Campbell

by Noel Macainsh •

September 1978, no. 4

These six books when held in the hand make up the thickness of a novel, and cost about $30.00 in all. The amount of typesetting must be far less than a novel. Five of them are printed in Hong Kong. Several acknowledge subsidy; one suspects they are all subsidised.

... (read more)