AustLit

In his second collection Mateer's work ranges through lyrics of sudden insight to long performative poems of grieving. A questioning of communication, despair and love in its various forms combine with memories, perception and present exxperiences, making for poems that engage daily life with an awareness of the philosophic and historic. Concentrating on Perth, Mateer's vision records the blurry worlds of private and public space, of common and individual solitude, while attempting their dissolution. His tone is usually insistent and his strenuous voice, like his use of vivid and often disturbing images, allows him to write with an urgency that is confronting and uncompromising. (From a preliminary page of the work).

'A landmark anthology celebrating a new generation of Australian poets.

'1968 marked a turning point in Australian poetry, when a dynamic wave of new poets sought to revitalise a "moribund poetic culture". At the helm of that generation was John Tranter who argued that there would be cycles or generations of poets with peak moments where new poets would emerge to revitalise the culture.

'Forty years later, with a spate of superb debut collections, Australian poetry has never looked so energetic and vital. From the imaginatively mind-boggling to the exquisitely lyrical, from tender and edgy erotic currents to wild feats of intellect and playfulness, the dynamism of contemporary Australian poetry is abundantly evident.

'Thirty Australian Poets is the first anthology to celebrate the generation of poets born after 1968 and includes a wonderful diversity of voices and styles, from re-imagined versions of traditional forms to the experimental and avant-garde. This groundbreaking anthology captures the spirit of an exciting generation who, between them, have won every major poetry award, and made the renaissance of Australian poetry impossible to ignore.' (From the publisher's website.)