Cirrus@Austlit

'This is a comprehensive survey of Australian poetic achievement, ranging from early colonial and indigenous verse to contemporary work, from the major poets to those who deserve to be better recognised.' (Provided by the publisher).

'The third in Braziller's Series of Australian Poets, Judith Beveridge engages the world in ways that open up larger perspectives and deeper understandings. As the critic Clive James notes, Beveridge s work displays unfailing dignity of movement and quiet splendour. Whether in relation to the natural world around us or to our inner world of intellect and emotion, Beveridge s poems call us to account, exalting our capacity for knowledge and insisting upon the pleasures and responsibilities of attentiveness."' (Publication summary)

'The quality of Australian poetry has never been higher, nor the number of distinctive voices greater. A landmark publication, this collection presents the astonishing achievements of Australian poetry during the last quarter of a century. Over ten years in preparation, gathering over 200 poets and 500 poems, it makes the case for this country's poetry as a broadening of the universal set for all English-speakers. 'Somewhat astonishingly,' the introduction notes, 'and while no-one was looking, Australian poetry has developed a momentum and a critical mass such that it has become one more luminous field in the English-speaking imagination. Increasingly, anyone who seeks to explore the perspectives or music available in English will also have to consider the perspectives and music which have originated here - Australia having turned itself, too, into a place in the mind.' Both survey and critical review, this anthology offers a rare opportunity to explore the major national achievement of contemporary Australian poetry. (Publication summary)'