Maria Takolander Maria Takolander i(A82520 works by)
Born: Established: 1973 Melbourne, Victoria, ;
Gender: Female
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BiographyHistory

Maria Takolander has written poetry, fiction and essays. In 2003, she completed a Doctor of Philosophy degree at Deakin University, Victoria and subsequently accepted a lectureship in the School of Communication and Creative Arts at that institution: as of 2019, she is an Associate Professor in Creative Writing and Literary Studies at Deakin University.

Takolander's publications include three full-length poetry collections, published by Giramondo, Salt, and Whitemore Press, as well as a wide range of anthologised works, including annual publication in the Best Australian Poems or the Best Australian Poetry since 2005. Her work has been translated into three languages (Macedonian, Spanish, and German) and published in four countries other than Australia (the UK, the US, Austria, and Colombo).

In addition to her poetry, Takolander was also a finalist for the Melbourne Prize for Literature with her short-story collection The Double (and Other Stories), published by Text in 2013.

Most Referenced Works

Awards for Works

y separately published work icon Trigger Warning St Lucia : University of Queensland Press , 2021 19702968 2021 selected work poetry

'Trigger Warning is not for the fainthearted, but neither are the elemental realities of domestic violence and environmental catastrophe that these astonishing poems address. Comprised of three sections, the first summons a difficult personal history by conversing with poets – from Sylvia Plath to Anne Carson – whose dramatised confessions trigger Takolander’s own. The second part remains focused on the domestic, while redeeming that scene of trauma through a reinventing wit. The final section of this extraordinary book turns its attention outside, playing with poetry itself in order to confront the Anthropocene and the final frontier of death. This is poetry that balances ruthlessness and lyrical beauty; poetry alive to its time and audience; poetry not to be missed.'

Source : publisher's blurb

2022 shortlisted ASAL Awards ALS Gold Medal
2022 winner Victorian Premier's Literary Awards Prize for Poetry
y separately published work icon The Double (And Other Stories) Melbourne : Text Publishing , 2013 6176687 2013 selected work short story

'Mum and Dad were sitting up in bed, the dark veneer of the bed head framing them from above the waist and the white sheet messed up around their legs. Dad's mouth was smeared with blood. It was on his teeth. He was panting. Mum was looking into her lap, where she was squeezing her left fist with her right hand. I could see the thumb sticking out, a chunk of flesh hanging off and blood streaming down.

'A student travels to Estonia to investigate his violent father's upbringing.

'A woman is possessed by visions of her brother's brutal death at a lake in Finland.

'A bride plumbs the depths of her loathing for her husband on a journey across Africa.

'A lonely boy is haunted by nightmares of a new classmate who has an affair with their teacher.

Each of the stories in The Double is unnerving, and unforgettable. Ranging from rural Australia to Northern Europe and beyond, from the dark past of the Soviet era to a terrifying vision of the near future, this collection marks the arrival of a unique and bewitching talent.' (Publisher's blurb)

2015 shortlisted Melbourne Prize
A Roānkin Philosophy of Poetry 2010 2010 single work short story
— Appears in: Hermano Cerdo 2006-;

— Appears in: Australian Book Review , December 2010 - January 2011 no. 327 2010; (p. 46-48)
2010 inaugural winner ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize In 2010, this award was known as the ABR Short Story Competition. It was renamed in honour of Elizabeth Jolley, and first awarded under the new name, in 2011.
Last amended 29 Nov 2019 15:37:10
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