For a published collection of poetry. The award honours the late Dr John Bray for his distinguished services to Australian poetry.
Prize: $15,000
Winner
The Other Way Out by Bronwyn Lea (Publisher: Giramondo Poets)
Bronwyn Lea’s new collection of poetry is quirky, observational and has great charm – but it is much more than that. She displays a breadth of poetic skills: as well as traditional lyric forms, there are ‘found poems’ from sources as disparate as ancient graffiti and Bette Davis, as well as dextrous experiments in wordplay and anagrams. Lea also warmly engages the reader, creating, as many other poets do not, an effective balance between acknowledging and scrutinising her poetic self, and providing insights from the perspective of an astute external observer. Her fresh, at times witty, tone offers a deceptive lightness: one judge suggested that a reader should “sit down with this collection over a glass of red wine.” The poems are not afraid to speak about love, relationships and the erotic, but also effectively balance philosophical argument with things of the world. This is an astute and original collection.
Shortlisted
Eighth Habitation by Adam Aitken (Giramondo Poets)
Adam Aitken’s Eighth Habitation explores a rich linguistic and cultural field. His blending of Asian and Australian topics moves beyond travelogue: explorations of Asian locations and sensibilities do not only reflect extensive research but present lyric and ironic meditations on world cultures. He is particularly successful when comparing cultures from an Australian base, and his most effective poems depict the means by which a landscape is populated, and the interactions between place and habitation. Aitken keeps firm control of longer poetic forms, his ‘letter’ poems convey an air of authenticity, and there are interesting ‘found’ portrayals in various media. This poet interrogates languages of colonialisation, of wars and economic oppression, with wit and emotional engagement.
True Thoughts by Pam Brown (Salt Publishing)
Pam Brown’s voice is immediate and strong; she is a poet at the height of her powers. From the opening poem, the audacious ‘Existence,’ this experienced poet writes engagingly human work, yet is confident to address topical subjects, both local and international. Her language can be subtle, complex, as well as strikingly vivid. There is trademark irony and quick wit, but also melancholy and introspection layered throughout. Brown is not afraid to explore less ‘poetic’ topics – sometimes surveying negative conditions of lassitude and withdrawal – conveying the hidden energy implicit in even drab and remote states of being. This is a strongly appealing package, and a deft display from this seasoned poet.
Wild Bees: New and Selected Poems by Martin Harrison (University of Western Australia Press)
Wild Bees surveys the last fifteen years of this major poet’s work, adding a large number of new poems to conclude a satisfying and well-rounded collection. Harrison continues his interest in the lyric of the momentary, and makes a bold and intelligent attempt to bridge the gap between artistic representation and theorizing in poetry. In practice, this leads to well-observed nature writing, often using highly original imagery (such as ‘Leeches’). He explores a range of locations and subjects, using a variety of poetic styles – including poems that indicate new directions and experiments with prose and poetry.
The Striped World by Emma Jones (Faber and Faber Ltd)
Emma Jones’ debut collection is imaginative, controlled and vivid. Like the best of these shortlisted poets, her work employs a range of styles yet maintains a strongly unified feel. She offers complex and layered lyric meditations on history and relationships, moving between intense imagery and deep concepts – the self in transit, superimpositions and transformations of being and identity, in such poems as ‘Window’ and ‘Creator’ – exploring them with meticulous dexterity. At times dramatic or humorous, the use of playfulness, repetition, even incantation, inform her poems and convey the profound joys of poetry.
The Human Project: New and Selected Poems by Martin Langford (Puncher and Wattmann Poetry)
Martin Langford expresses a strong moral dimension in his poetry. His collection is a mixture of selected and new poems, yet strongly unified. At the same time, he covers a wide variety of topics: Langford has a talent for voice (and a rare knack for observing adolescents), for explorations of Australian landscape, particularly the Hawkesbury River, and for powerful images. Langford speaks his mind, employing ethical and poetic engagement.
