The Wild Reciter

Poetry and Popular Culture in Australia 1890 to the Present

Peter Kirkpatrick

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English

MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY PRES
03 December 2024

Literature, Poetry & Criticism; Poetry; Prose: non-fiction; Literary studies: poetry & poets

How Australian poetry has evolved throughout time

Just over a century ago poetry was all the rage in Australia. Newspapers and magazines published it, entertainers and elocutionists performed it on stages across the country, and ordinary Australians recited it in schools, local halls and suburban parlours. Yet this communal experience of poetry has now largely disappeared. In The Wild Reciter Peter Kirkpatrick examines how this change occurred by exploring the shifting relationships between poetry and popular culture, and in particular the arrival of new media, taking the reader from 'penny readings' and vaudeville to slam and Instapoetry.

Many extraordinary yet wholly forgotten works are brought to light, while some well-known poems and their authors receive a critical makeover. 'The Man from Snowy River' encounters the Wild West; Lesbia Harford turns singer-songwriter; Kenneth Slessor finds his groove; Yevgeny Yevtushenko blows up the Adelaide Festival; rock music inspires both John Laws and the Generation of '68; Dorothy Porter resorts to crime fiction; and Clive James abandons media fame for poetic glory. This pioneering study reimagines the history of Australian verse to arrive at a more expansive notion of poetry.

By: Peter Kirkpatrick
Imprint: MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY PRES
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions: Height: 233mm, Width: 154mm, Spine: 25mm
Weight: 438g
ISBN: 9780522880298
ISBN 10: 0522880290
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 03 December 2024
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Peter Kirkpatrick has published widely in Australian literary studies and cultural history, and is an honorary associate professor in the discipline of English and Writing at the University of Sydney. He is the author of three poetry collections.