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y separately published work icon The Darkening Ecliptic collected work   poetry  
  • Author:agent 'Ern Malley' http://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/mcauley-james
Issue Details: First known date: 1944... 1944 The Darkening Ecliptic
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Notes

  • Ern Malley's collected poems were first published in the Autumn 1944 issue of Angry Penguins magazine under the title The Darkening Ecliptic. The collection has been published several times since this initial publication, sometimes with the original title and sometimes with different titles. In addition to changes of title, the publications have included a range of introductions and commentaries, and some have reproductions of artworks by Sidney Nolan. These variations are represented below in the relevant text for each version.
  • Epigraph: Do not speak of secret matters in a field full of little hills. -- Old Proverb

Contents

* Contents derived from the Melbourne, Victoria,:Reed and Harris , 1944 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.
Publishers' Statement, Max Harris , John Reed , single work criticism (p. 5-6)
Untitled, Ethel Malley , single work correspondence (p. 7-8)
Note: facsim.
Introduction : The Darkening Ecliptic 1944, Max Harris , single work criticism (p. 9-14)
Preface and Statement, 'Ern Malley' , single work prose
Ern Malley's introductory remarks to The Darkening Ecliptic.
 (p. 15)
Durer: Innsbruck, 1495i"I had often, cowled in the slumberous heavy air,", 'Ern Malley' , single work poetry (p. 16)
Sonnets for the Novachord : (i)i"Rise from the wrist, o kestrel", 'Ern Malley' , single work poetry (p. 17)
Sonnets for the Novachord : (ii)i"Poetry: the loaves and fishes,", 'Ern Malley' , single work poetry (p. 18)
Sweet Williami"I have avoided your wide English eyes:", 'Ern Malley' , single work poetry (p. 19)
Boult to Marinai"Only a part of me shall triumph in this", 'Ern Malley' , single work poetry (p. 20)
Sybillinei"That rabbit's foot I carried in my left pocket", 'Ern Malley' , single work poetry (p. 21-22)
Night Piecei"The swung torch scatters seeds", 'Ern Malley' , single work poetry (p. 23)
Documentary Filmi"Innumerable the images", 'Ern Malley' , single work poetry (p. 24-25)
Palinodei"There are ribald interventions", 'Ern Malley' , single work poetry (p. 26-27)
Night-Piece (Alternate Version)i"The intemperate torch grazed", 'Ern Malley' , single work poetry (p. 28)
Baroque Exteriori"When the hysterical vision strikes", 'Ern Malley' , single work poetry (p. 29)
Perspective Lovesongi"It was a night when the planets", 'Ern Malley' , single work poetry (p. 30-31)
Culture as Exhibiti"`Swamps, marshes, borrow-pits and other", 'Ern Malley' , single work poetry (p. 32-33)
Egyptian Registeri"The hand burns resinous in the evening sky", 'Ern Malley' , single work poetry (p. 34-35)
Young Prince of Tyrei"Inattentive, suborned, betrayed, and shiftless,", 'Ern Malley' , single work poetry (p. 36-38)
Colloquy with John Keatsi"I have been bitter with you, my brother,", 'Ern Malley' , single work poetry (p. 39-41)
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* Contents derived from the Melbourne, Victoria,:Lansdowne , 1961 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.
Introduction : Ern Malley's Poems, Max Harris , single work criticism
This introduction tracks the origin and progress of the Ern Malley Hoax beginning with the letters sent to Harris by Malley's sister, 'Ethel Malley', through the media discovery of the deception, the trial on indecency charges and the response to the hoax from the United Kingdom and the USA. Harris provides a summary of the trial in which he was charged with having published fourteen 'indecent advertisements'. (Seven of the fourteen were from The Darkening Ecliptic; the others included the Peter Cowan short story, 'The Fence'.) Also included are extracts from an ABC radio documentary by John Thompson, entitled The Ern Malley Story (1960).
 (p. 5-20)
Appendix : Ern Malley's Poems, 1961, Max Harris , single work criticism

A summary of the trial in which the editor of Angry Penguins was charged with having published fourteen 'indecent advertisements'. (Seven of the fourteen were from The Darkening Ecliptic; the others included the Peter Cowan short story, 'The Fence'.) The summary includes a transcript of a substantial part of the judgement handed down by the magistrate Mr L. E. Clarke.

 (p. 42-56)
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* Contents derived from the London,
c
England,
c
c
United Kingdom (UK),
c
Western Europe, Europe,:R. Alistair McAlpine , 1974 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.
Sidney Nolan, Ern Malley and Paradise Garden, Elwyn Lynn , single work criticism (p. 7-21)
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* Contents derived from the Sydney, New South Wales,:Allen and Unwin , 1988 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.
From the Introduction to the 1961 Edition of 'Ern Malley's Poems', Max Harris , single work criticism (p. 3-15)
Forty Four Years on ..., Max Harris , single work criticism (p. 16-20)
Angry Penguins as Cultural Gesture, Joanna Murray-Smith , single work criticism (p. 21-50)
The Cultural Stream, Max Harris , John Reed , single work column (p. 53-56)
Introduction : The Darkening Ecliptic 1944, Max Harris , single work criticism (p. 57-64)
Elegiac for Ern Malley, Max Harris , single work prose (p. 65-67)
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* Contents derived from the Pymble, Turramurra - Pymble - St Ives area, Sydney Northern Suburbs, Sydney, New South Wales,:Angus and Robertson , 1993 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.
Introduction, Albert Tucker , single work criticism
Tucker quotes from Carl Jung's Memories, Dreams and Reflections to posit a theoretical framework from which to approach the Ern Malley poems. Tucker contends that McAuley and Stewart were overtaken by their own creation and succumbed, in the words of Jung, to 'something in me which can say things I do not know and do not intend, things which may even be directed against me ...'.
 (p. vi-x)
The Hoax, Max Harris , single work criticism

This article largely combines two previous articles by Harris - 'From the Introduction to the 1961 Edition of Ern Malley's Poems 'and 'Forty Four Years on...' - both of which were published in The Poems of Ern Malley (1988).

The criticism tracks the origin and progress of the Ern Malley Hoax beginning with the letters sent to Harris by Malley's sister, 'Ethel Malley', through the media discovery of the deception, the trial on indecency charges and the response to the hoax from the United Kingdom and the USA.

Harris provides a summary of the trial in which he was charged with having published fourteen 'indecent advertisements'. (Seven of the fourteen were from The Darkening Ecliptic; the others included the Peter Cowan short story, 'The Fence'.)

In the final section of the criticism, Harris reflects on the uniqueness of literary and cultural developments in Australia in the years since the first publication of Ern Malley's poems in Angry Penguins no.[6] in 1944 and in particular emphasises the role of Modernism.

 (p. 1-20)
Ern Malley, Colin Wilson , single work criticism
Wilson contends that 'Stewart and McAuley's afternoon of slapdash "tachist" invention produced work of genuine merit, which affords us a fascinating insight into the creative process'. Included in Wilson's article is the text of a piece he wrote for the Japanese publication, I.D. Magazine in 1991. The magazine piece recounts the events of the Ern Malley Hoax, quotes extracts from Malley poems and concludes that McAuley and Stewart, 'in trying to create a parody, ... produced the poetic equivalent of a Jackson Pollock painting'.
 (p. 47-57)
The Cultural Stream, Max Harris , John Reed , single work column (p. 57-60)
Introduction : The Darkening Ecliptic 1944, Max Harris , single work criticism (p. 60-68)
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Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

  • Appears in:
    y separately published work icon Angry Penguins no. [6] Autumn 1944 Z600031 1944 periodical issue 1944 pg. 7-33
    Note: Includes all the poems comprising The Darkening Ecliptic.
    • Melbourne, Victoria,: Lansdowne , 1961 .
      Alternative title: Ern Malley's Poems
      Extent: 56p.
      Note/s:
      • Includes the Ern Malley's 'Preface and Statement' and all the poems comprising The Darkening Ecliptic, together with an introduction and an appendix by Max Harris.
      • Includes extracts from radio documentary by John Thompson, entitled 'The Ern Malley Story'.
    • Adelaide, South Australia,: Mary Martin , ca. 1970 .
      Alternative title: Ern Malley's Poems
      Extent: 56p.
      Edition info: Reprint of the 1961 edition (Dust-jacket)
      Limited edition info: Twenty-fifth anniversary limited edition. Limited to 1000 copies.
    • London,
      c
      England,
      c
      c
      United Kingdom (UK),
      c
      Western Europe, Europe,      :       R. Alistair McAlpine ,       1974 .
      Extent: 56p.
      Limited edition info: Printed in an edition 1,000 copies; nos. 1-50 with an original drawing numbered and signed by the artist.
      Description: illus. (col).
      Note/s:
      • Paintings from a Sidney Nolan retrospective exhibited in Adelaide in 1974 to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the publication on Ern Malley's poems in 1944.
      • Includes the Ern Malley's 'Preface and Statement' and all the poems comprising The Darkening Ecliptic. Elwyn Lynn's introduction and a preface by Robert Melville pp. 4-5.
    • Sydney, New South Wales,: Allen and Unwin , 1988 .
      Alternative title: The Poems of Ern Malley : comprising the complete poems and commentaries by Max Harris and Joanna Murray-Smith
      Extent: ix, 101p.p.
      Note/s:
      • Bibliography: 98-101
      • Includes the Ern Malley's 'Preface and Statement' and all the poems comprising The Darkening Ecliptic together with an introduction by Max Harris, a critical article by Joanna Murray-Smith and several other short pieces by Harris. Each of these is indexed separately. Also includes publisher's note, p.vii-ix.
      • Cover illustration is a reproduction of Sidney Nolan's Ern Malley.
      ISBN: 0041500881
  • Appears in:
    y separately published work icon The Ern Malley Affair Michael Heyward , St Lucia : University of Queensland Press , 1993 Z467308 1993 single work criticism St Lucia : University of Queensland Press , 1993 pg. 241-262.
    • Pymble, Turramurra - Pymble - St Ives area, Sydney Northern Suburbs, Sydney, New South Wales,: Angus and Robertson , 1993 .
      Alternative title: Ern Malley : collected poems
      Extent: x, 68p.p.
      Note/s:
      • Cover illustration is a reproduction of Sidney Nolan's Ern Malley.
      • Includes the Ern Malley's 'Preface and Statement' and all the poems comprising The Darkening Ecliptic together with commentaries by Albert Tucker, Colin Wilson, Max Harris and John Reed. Each of these is indexed separately.
      ISBN: 0207179778
    • Sydney, New South Wales,: ETT Imprint , 2017 .
      image of person or book cover 5706140974923272408.jpg
      This image has been sourced from online.
      Extent: 85p.
      Description: col. illus.
      ISBN: 9781925416886
VIEW PUBLICATION DETAILS FOR ALL VERSIONS ()

Related Works

y separately published work icon Garry Shead : The Apotheosis of Ern Malley Garry Shead , Sasha Grishin , Collingwood : Australian Galleries , 2008 Z1598278 2008 single work non-fiction Garry Shead interleaves the poetry of 'Ern Malley' with paintings interpreting each poem's theme.
VIEW ALL RELATED WORKS (1)

Works about this Work

Introduction Max Harris , single work criticism Harris tracks the origin and progress of the Ern Malley Hoax beginning with the letters sent to him by Malley's sister, 'Ethel Malley', through the media discovery of the deception, the trial on indecency charges, the response to the hoax from the United Kingdom and the USA and, finally, a 1960 ABC radio programme re-capping the affair.
The Orphic Strain in Australian Poetry Andrew Johnson , 2011 single work criticism
— Appears in: Refashioning Myth : Poetic Transformations and Metamorphoses 2011; (p. 9-27) 'Andrew Johnson argues that "[w]hile poetry in Australia might broadly be read under the aegis of Romanticism, the various Orphic poems could be used as an index of different styles and schools," and claims that "the different approaches and interests of various poets could be measured by their varied responses to the Orphic material." Johnson applies this framework to a close reading of several key Australian poets, including A. D. Hope and the notorious "mythical" poet, Ern Malley.' (Source: Introduction p. 2)
y separately published work icon The Sons of Clovis : Ern Malley, Adore Floupette and a Secret History of Australian Poetry David Brooks , St Lucia : University of Queensland Press , 2011 Z1803817 2011 single work criticism

'The Sons of Clovis ... begins with the Ern Malley affair, establishing previously unrecognised connections between the Australian scene and French symboliste poetry, before embarking on a fascinating journey through literature, culture, and poetics.' (Publisher's website)
Ern Malley : Doppelganger in the Desert Peter Nicholson , 2010 single work criticism
— Appears in: Explorations In Australian Poetry 2010; (p. 80-88) Peter Nicholson's essay 'assays the curious case of Ern Malley, an entirely fictional poet, invented in 1943 to expose what the perpetrators thought of as Modernism's foolishness. Nicholson observes that the Ern Malley affair, as it has come to be known does show a certain propensity for literary politicking and obstructionism that has not been without subsequent issue.' (x)
Condsidering Ern Malley's 'The Darkening Ecliptic' on a Fine Spring Morning in the Front Garden i "it's not so much the caterpillar", Cameron Lowe , 2010 single work poetry
— Appears in: Porch Music 2010; (p. 48)
(The Melbourne) Age, 4 November 1944 and a Subsequent Comment by 'F.S' 1944 single work review
— Appears in: Jacket , June no. 17 2002;
— Review of The Darkening Ecliptic 'Ern Malley' , 1944 collected work poetry
Anniversary of a Hoax Rodney Hall , 1970 single work review
— Appears in: The Australian , 30 May 1970; (p. 20)
— Review of The Darkening Ecliptic 'Ern Malley' , 1944 collected work poetry
Pizza Parlour Primitives Don Anderson , 1993 single work review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 12 June 1993; (p. 45)
— Review of Poems From the Madhouse [and] Now Millennium Sandy Jeffs , Deborah Staines , 1993 selected work poetry ; The Darkening Ecliptic 'Ern Malley' , 1944 collected work poetry ; Poetry Supreme 1992 1993 anthology poetry ; Now Millennium Deborah Staines , 1993 selected work poetry
Untitled Scrutarius , 1961 single work review
— Appears in: Walkabout , vol. 27 no. 10 1961; (p. 41)
— Review of The Darkening Ecliptic 'Ern Malley' , 1944 collected work poetry ; Soldiers' Women Xavier Herbert , 1961 single work novel
Half Circle and Sheer Drop Leonie Kramer , 1961 single work review
— Appears in: Nation , 9 September 1961; (p. 21)
— Review of The Darkening Ecliptic 'Ern Malley' , 1944 collected work poetry
Echoes of Angry Penguins as an Old Phoney and His Sister Return Susan Wyndham , 2003 single work column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 26-27 July 2003; (p. 1) The Age , 26 July 2003; (p. 9) Reports on the discord between Random House and Tom Thompson's ETT Imprint about copyright ownership of the Ern Malley poems.
Publishers' Statement Max Harris , John Reed , 1944 single work criticism
— Appears in: The Darkening Ecliptic 1944; (p. 5-6)
Introduction Max Harris , single work criticism Harris tracks the origin and progress of the Ern Malley Hoax beginning with the letters sent to him by Malley's sister, 'Ethel Malley', through the media discovery of the deception, the trial on indecency charges, the response to the hoax from the United Kingdom and the USA and, finally, a 1960 ABC radio programme re-capping the affair.
Appendix : Ern Malley's Poems, 1961 Max Harris , 1961 single work criticism
— Appears in: The Darkening Ecliptic 1961; (p. 42-56)

A summary of the trial in which the editor of Angry Penguins was charged with having published fourteen 'indecent advertisements'. (Seven of the fourteen were from The Darkening Ecliptic; the others included the Peter Cowan short story, 'The Fence'.) The summary includes a transcript of a substantial part of the judgement handed down by the magistrate Mr L. E. Clarke.
Australia's Hoax Poet Sets the Literary Establishment Squabbling Once More Kathy Marks , 2003 single work column
— Appears in: Independent on Sunday , 3 August 2003; (p. 18) Briefly canvasses the conflict between literary agent Curtis Brown and publisher ETT Imprint over ownership of the Ern Malley poems and notes the publication of My Life as a Fake by Peter Carey.
VIEW ALL WORKS ABOUT (44)
Last amended 22 Jun 2017 09:18:12
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Influence on:
Ern Malley Songs
Ern Malley: A Dramatic Testament
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