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'He was a Melbourne surgeon. He worked for the Ottoman Empire in the Russo-Turkish War. He was the oldest man at Gallipoli, and took illegal photographs during a nine-hour truce. He repaired Ned Kelly after the Siege of Glenrowan. He cut quite a figure in "Marvellous Melbourne" of the 1880s and 90s. He did remarkable things. He wrote it all down.
'In this verse-portrait of Sir Charles Snodgrass 'Plevna' Ryan (1853-1926), Geoff Page weaves the writing of Ryan together with his own voice as biographer, setting down the life of a man forgotten by history at the same time as reflecting on his role as intermediary.
'Page's sensitive investigation into the lost life of Charles Ryan probes broader topics of mortality, posterity and collective memory. Written in second person and in verse, Page reflects both on the power and the unreliability of storied lives.' (Publication summary)
Notes
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A biography in verse form.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Departure from Nature to a Personal Landscape
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 9 July 2016; (p. 19)
— Review of Plevna : A Biography in Verse 2016 single work biography 'Along with Robert Adamson, Anthony Lawrence is known as one of Australia's key romantic poets. As with earlier romantics, Lawrence, over several decades now, has been looking for a personal metaphysics in the untamed aspects of "Nature", its landscapes and its more dramatic creatures. ...' -
Free and Easy
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: Quadrant , October vol. 60 no. 10 2016; (p. 85-86)
— Review of Plevna : A Biography in Verse 2016 single work biography -
A Characteristically Bold Innovation in Form : Peter Stanley Launches ‘Plevna : A Biography in Verse’ by Geoff Page
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: Rochford Street Review , July-September no. 19 2016;
— Review of Plevna : A Biography in Verse 2016 single work biography
-
Departure from Nature to a Personal Landscape
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 9 July 2016; (p. 19)
— Review of Plevna : A Biography in Verse 2016 single work biography 'Along with Robert Adamson, Anthony Lawrence is known as one of Australia's key romantic poets. As with earlier romantics, Lawrence, over several decades now, has been looking for a personal metaphysics in the untamed aspects of "Nature", its landscapes and its more dramatic creatures. ...' -
A Characteristically Bold Innovation in Form : Peter Stanley Launches ‘Plevna : A Biography in Verse’ by Geoff Page
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: Rochford Street Review , July-September no. 19 2016;
— Review of Plevna : A Biography in Verse 2016 single work biography -
Free and Easy
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: Quadrant , October vol. 60 no. 10 2016; (p. 85-86)
— Review of Plevna : A Biography in Verse 2016 single work biography