Modern Australian Verse

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Modern Australian Verse
Author Douglas Stewart
Language English
SeriesPoetry in Australia
GenrePoetry anthology
Publisher Angus and Robertson
Publication date
1964
Publication placeAustralia
Media typePrint
Pages246 pp.
Preceded by From the Ballads to Brennan  
Followed by- 

Modern Australian Verse is an anthology of Australian poetry edited by Douglas Stewart, published by Angus and Robertson in 1964. [1]

Contents

The collection contains 175 poems, from a variety of sources. [2]

The poems are arranged "more or less in chronological order, according to the years of birth of the poets." [3]

This anthology comprises Volume II of a two-part anthology set titled Poetry in Australia. The first volume, titled From the Ballads to Brennan was edited by T. Inglis Moore and was also published by Angus and Robertson in 1964. [4]

Editor's note

In his introduction to the anthology editor Douglas Stewart explained both his selection process and the reason behind choosing the year 1930 as his starting point.

"Though I have not excluded any good poems merely because they are familiar, the resulting contents are more different from those of other anthologies than I had expected them to be; but that, though it is doubdess due pardy to the principle on which the selection was made, is chiefly because of the period set down for it: from 1930 onwards. Since Brennan, Shaw Neilson, Hugh McCrae, Mary Gilmore and many others who wrote in the earlier years of this century were, after consultation with the calendar and discussion with Professor Inglis Moore, regarded as actually or essentially out of my period, I could not include these poets; but at the same time I was free to range wider among contemporary writers than most other anthologists have been able to, and also to give full weight to those–such as Slessor, FitzGerald, A. D. Hope and Judith Wright–who are outstanding among them.

"The year set down for this volume to open–1930–was in a sense arbitrary, as are all attempts to divide the continuous, living stream of poetry into neat periods of time. Poetry does not alter so much over the years and over the centuries as we may be led to imagine." [3]

Contents

Publication history

The anthology was re-issued as follows:

Critical reception

H. P. Heseltine, reviewing the anthology in The Bulletin noted that the editor, Douglas Stewart, has "contributed to one of the tasks of all anthologists–the establishing, through selection or rejection, of the poetic touchstones of a place and time. By reprinting certain poems which have appeared again and again in anthologies, he confirms their centrality." [7]

In The Age newspaper Dennis Douglas wrote: "It is clear from this anthology that the movement of Australian poetry is towards fluency, flexibility and economy of technique. Australian verse, like Australian slang, tends to cultivate a laconic resourcefulness." [8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Modern Australian Verse edited by Douglas Stewart (1964)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  2. ↑ "Austlit — Modern Australian Verse edited by Douglas". Austlit. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  3. 1 2 Modern Australian Verse edited by Douglas Stewart, Angus and Robertson, 1964, pp. xxi-xxxv
  4. ↑ "Poetry in Australia. Volume I, From the Ballads to Brennan / chosen by T. Inglis Moore". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  5. ↑ "Modern Australian Verse edited by Douglas Stewart (1965)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  6. ↑ "Modern Australian Verse edited by Douglas Stewart (1968)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  7. ↑ ""Banjo Paterson's Horse?"". The Bulletin, 9 May 1964, pp48-49. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  8. ↑ ""The Laconic Resoucefulness of Australian Verse"". The Age, 9 May 1964, p21. ProQuest   2520562808 . Retrieved 7 February 2026.
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