ROOK WITH A VIEW
A BOOK OF AUSTRALIAN VERSE, selected with an introduction by Judith Wright; Oxford University Press, Geoffrey Cumberlege, English price 15/-. "BOLDNESS be my _friend"’-this motto should be recommended to, every anthologist. In selecting a book of representative Australian verse Judith
Wright has not been bold enough. If she could not find enough good poems written by Australians between the days of settlement and now, then why | not make (like Ann Ridler) a shorter book and a better one? We know Judith Wright as a vigorous poet inspired by themes of love, maternity and death; we must unwillingly conclude that she has not the acumen, breadth of sympathy, variety of critical response, to make a successful anthologist. If one certain thing can be said of | Australian poetry, it is that ballad vigour has again and again transcended the confines of mock-aboriginal themes, narrow political commentary, and. a dreary late-Victorian verbalism. Where are her balladists? Adam Lindsay Gordon (who wrote three superb ballads, the rest undistirguished)-not represented; Banjo Paterson, whose lines can cut like a whip-not represented; Ogilvie, who wrote of horses as if he were himself a centaur-not represented; Henry Lawson, whose verses like Ned Kelly’s armour will always look out of place in a museum-represented by one tired though great-hearted ballad; ‘"Anon," the one balladist without patri-nomy-not represented; A. D. Hope, John Manifold, David Campbell, who have each in their way lifted the imbedded sword -from the stone where Lawson left it-represented, most imperfectly. The editor pleads that "the balladists did not contribute anything to the solution of the problems of Australian poetry." She admires rather the sensitivity, archness and languid charm of Hugh McCrae, the clay-heavy didactic rhetoric of William Baylebridge, the manufactured myths of Kenneth Slessor. Well, it is a point of view. Three poets who stand out somewhat from the ruck have been published also in New Zea-land-W. Hart-Smith, Douglas Stewart and Eve Langley. Inevitably this Australian anthology invites comparison with the New Zealand anthology rfecently edited by Robert Chapman and Jonathan Bennett. Chapman and Bennett also weighted their anthology in favour of younger poets; they had a special view of New Zealand poetry; but they included at’ most one mockpoem. Judith Wright has included at least thirty. One hopes that in any revision of this anthology the editor will also revise her view of Australian
poetry.
James K.
Baxter
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 35, Issue 899, 26 October 1956, Page 13
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397ROOK WITH A VIEW New Zealand Listener, Volume 35, Issue 899, 26 October 1956, Page 13
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