John Upton John Upton i(A14764 works by) (a.k.a. John James Upton)
Born: Established: 23 Aug 1939 ; Died: Ceased: 19 Jan 2017 Burwood, Ashfield - Burwood area, Sydney Inner West, Sydney, New South Wales,
Gender: Male
Heritage: American
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Works By

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1 y separately published work icon Sheet Music John Upton , Waratah : Puncher and Wattmann , 2019 16889666 2019 selected work poetry

'In Sheet Music, John Upton's second collection of poetry, his meditations on people and places are at the same time moving and personal, and sweepingly international. These poems travel: they make pit-stops in both strange and familiar territory, they linger at destinations. They take you on a wild ride through a range of deftly-handled poetic forms, and always they touch down on the human heart.

Upton has a gift for dark humour, understated irony and incisive imagery, and his vision ranges from the impact of broken relationships and our connection with other sentient creatures, to the futility of war and empty patriotism. Through often unexpected analogies and startling imagery, his poems probe the nature and progress of grief and illness, and the ways the body, and the body politic, can betray the self. At times colloquial and irreverent, or formal and imagistic, they affirm the radiance that can be found all around and within us, despite the provisionality and chaos of existence.' (Publication summary) 

 

1 Crossing Galata, Istanbul i "Flying fish", John Upton , 2017 single work poetry
— Appears in: Overland , Winter vol. 227 no. 2017; (p. 51) The Best Australian Poems 2017 2017; (p. 151)
1 Questions You Don't Ask i "She turns the page. Seems unaware", John Upton , 2016 single work poetry
— Appears in: Australian Poetry Journal , vol. 6 no. 1 2016; (p. 89)
1 Big Time i "Two magpies in the purple jacaranda –", John Upton , 2016 single work poetry
— Appears in: Plumwood Mountain : An Australian Journal of Ecopoetry and Ecopoetics , February vol. 3 no. 1 2016;
1 On Shoes Encountered in a Museum i "The long black boots match the insignia", John Upton , 2016 single work poetry
— Appears in: Australian Poetry Anthology 2016; (p. 61)
1 Unawares i "Such a neat hand - it catches me unawares", John Upton , 2015 single work poetry
— Appears in: Australian Poetry Anthology 2015; (p. 19)
1 Not Ending It i "You see the light, you navigate the wide", John Upton , 2015 single work poetry
— Appears in: Award Winning Australian Writing 2015 2015; (p. 227-228)
1 Aquarium i "She recognises me and mocks my work", John Upton , 2015 single work poetry
— Appears in: Cordite Poetry Review , 1 October no. 52.0 2015;
1 Hidden i "Stretching up to look for a salad bowl", John Upton , 2015 single work poetry
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 24-25 October 2015; (p. 23)
1 y separately published work icon Inside the Wran Era : The Ron Mulock Memoirs David Clune , John Upton , Ballarat : Connor Court Publishing , 2015 8911134 2015 single work biography

'Ron Mulock was a Labor Member of the NSW Parliament from 1971 to 1988. He is the only Minister since Federation to have consecutively held the major portfolios of Education, Health and Transport. Mulock served as Deputy Premier under Neville Wran and Barrie Unsworth from 1984 to 1988. From an insider’s perspective, he gives previously unrevealed insights into Neville Wran and his Government. Mulock’s memoirs expose the underbelly of ALP politics in a rare way.

'Another theme of this book is Mulock’s indefatigable campaign for recognition and resources for booming but neglected western Sydney. His story is also that of a decent man in politics. It is a human story of a family coping with the demands of political life. Mulock’s reminiscences are candid, insightful and readable.' (Publication summary)

1 Seagulls i "Anton Chekhov was a connoisseur of brothels—", John Upton , 2015 single work poetry
— Appears in: Quadrant , June vol. 59 no. 6 2015; (p. 17)
1 The Patriot i "The claws are what distinguish her: beneath", John Upton , 2015 single work poetry
— Appears in: Transnational Literature , May vol. 7 no. 2 2015;
1 3 y separately published work icon Embracing the Razor John Upton , Glebe : Puncher and Wattmann , 2015 8436494 2015 selected work poetry

'Tender poems on the death of his wife, witty Philip Larkin apercus, meditations on the spiritual need of Australians for Europe, hard-eyed satire as a political fixer dismisses as out-of-date the instruments of torture in the Tower of London: John Upton’s range is broad and his poetic skills accomplished. There’s also wit, along with rollicking humour and love of the absurd, with jealous Othello transposed into Sydney’s posh Eastern Suburbs, and a defrocked priest with a gambling habit sacked and clerking at the TAB.' (Publication summary)

1 Indomitable Irishry i "Gnarled Irish oak died peacefully. But peace", John Upton , 2015 single work poetry
— Appears in: Peace, Tolerance and Understanding : Poems from the ACU 2015 Prize for Poetry 2015; (p. 38-40)
1 Space-time Samurai John Upton , 2014 single work poetry
— Appears in: The Stars Like Sand : Australian Speculative Poetry 2014; (p. 76)
1 4711 i "You dabbed it on like goodness, and the scent", John Upton , 2014 single work poetry
— Appears in: Australian Poetry Members Anthology 2014; (p. 68)
1 Review Short : Andy Kissane’s Radiance John Upton , 2014 single work review
— Appears in: Cordite Poetry Review , November no. 48.0 2014;

— Review of Radiance Andy Kissane , 2014 selected work poetry
1 Angel i "My father used to call my mother "angel"", John Upton , 2014 single work poetry
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 8-9 November 2014; (p. 18) The Best Australian Poems 2015 2015; Australian Poetry Anthology 2015; (p. 20)
1 Sea of Heartbeak by Les Wicks John Upton , 2014 single work review
— Appears in: Mascara Literary Review , October no. 16 2014;

— Review of Sea of Heartbeak (Unexpected Resilience) Les Wicks , 2013 selected work poetry
1 Michael York Fends for Himself i "We're watching Shangri-La with the sound turned down", John Upton , 2014 single work poetry
— Appears in: Quadrant , September vol. 58 no. 9 2014; (p. 45)
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