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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'The follow-up to the international bestselling The Monkey’s Mask, Dorothy Porter’s Crete is an astonishing collection that traverses Greek myth and Russian poets, the memory of cigarettes and the wild abandon of love.
'Crete is a heady mix of dark humour, archaeology, breathtaking eroticism, risk-taking and effortless economy. It is a book by a writer at the peak of her highly original powers.
'This collection includes 81 poems in six cycles'.
Source: Publisher's blurb.
Notes
-
Dedication: for Andy
-
Epigraph: 'Blue island, give me back what is mine. / Flying Crete, give back my work to me. / Fill the baked vessel / from the breasts of the flowing goddess.' Osip Mandelstam, 'Poem 385'
Contents
* Contents derived from the
South Melbourne,
South Melbourne - Port Melbourne area,
Melbourne - Inner South,
Melbourne,
Victoria,:Hyland House
, 1996 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.
- Cretei"Finding a vein", single work poetry (p. 5)
- Linear Ai"When I was twenty-two", single work poetry (p. 6)
- The Night Before Knossosi"On the deck", single work poetry (p. 7)
- Or Elsei"No sensible woman eats poppies", single work poetry (p. 8)
- My Hairy Sprogi"In myths", single work poetry (p. 9)
- Motherhoodi"No longer will she", single work poetry (p. 10)
- Gorgeous Breastsi"After our first time", single work poetry (p. 11)
- Changedi"I'll never change", single work poetry (p. 12)
- Gross, Green and Madi"My garden", single work poetry (p. 13)
- Grape Dancei"The air", single work poetry (p. 14)
- Rot Herei"In the dark", single work poetry (p. 15)
- A Stinger!i"I tell the withered", single work poetry (p. 16)
- The Honey Daimoni"This morning", single work poetry (p. 17)
- Exuberance with Bloody Handsi"What do the Minoans teach us -", single work poetry (p. 21-22)
- Atlantisi"Were there Lithuanians in Atlantis?", single work poetry (p. 23-24)
- Altarsi"Is the gaily painted trussed bull", single work poetry (p. 25)
- Bull-Leapingi"Is poetry a strange leftover", single work poetry (p. 26)
- Leaving Ariadne Behindi"Why point the finger at Theseus?", single work poetry (p. 27)
- Archaeologyi"Am I the Arthur Evans", single work poetry (p. 28)
- The Bodyi"Is the changing body ever", single work poetry (p. 29)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
-
Crete : Dorothy Porter, Exuberance, and the Limits of Art
2014
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Journal of Australian Studies , September vol. 38 no. 3 2014; (p. 271-280) 'This essay argues that the poetry of Australian poet Dorothy Porter, exemplified in her collection,Crete, operates along contrapuntal lines. The poet's daemonic energy celebrates the ancient island culture, expressed variously in outbursts of democratic irreverence or pagan sensuousness or hierophantic exuberance or queer subversiveness. However, this celebration is met by what reaches out beyond the celebration of aesthetic energy, towards a sifting, self-questioning ethics. This ethics questions the limits of the aesthetic and gives Porter'sCreteits richest, most disturbing depths. This double action of Porter's poetry puts aesthetics—its powers and its limits—into question. (Publication abstract) -
Daemonic Currents in Dorothy Porter's Poetry
2010
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Australian Literary Studies , May vol. 25 no. 1 2010; (p. 19-30) 'Although charged by the daemonic, the sacred and extreme, [Porter's] poetics is shot through, too, with awareness of fakery and illusion. Finally, the currents of Porter's work are connective, sparking off and from a lineage of charged poetry, especially, arguabley, of confessionalism, and a tradition of hierophantic poetics. This essay examines Porter's poetics within the context of this lineage' (19). -
"The Giant Octopus is Dying": Maternal Archeology in Dorothy Porter's 'Crete'
1998
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Southerly , Autumn vol. 58 no. 1 1998; (p. 49-66) -
[Review] Crete
1996
single work
review
— Appears in: Famous Reporter , December no. 14 1996; (p. 53-56)
— Review of Crete 1996 selected work poetry -
[Review] Crete
1996
single work
review
— Appears in: Heat , no. 2 1996; (p. 210)
— Review of Crete 1996 selected work poetry
-
Daimons and Demons
1996
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 31 August-1 September 1996; (p. rev 9)
— Review of The Rome Air Naked 1996 selected work poetry ; Crete 1996 selected work poetry -
Poetic Reflections on Minoan Culture
1996
single work
review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 4 May 1996; (p. C10)
— Review of Crete 1996 selected work poetry -
[Review] Crete
1996
single work
review
— Appears in: Muse , June no. 152 1996; (p. 36-37)
— Review of Crete 1996 selected work poetry -
Extravagant Porter
1996
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , April no. 179 1996; (p. 46-47)
— Review of Crete 1996 selected work poetry -
A Rich Cornucopia
1996
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Women's Book Review , June vol. 8 no. 2 1996; (p. 30-31)
— Review of Crete 1996 selected work poetry -
Daemonic Currents in Dorothy Porter's Poetry
2010
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Australian Literary Studies , May vol. 25 no. 1 2010; (p. 19-30) 'Although charged by the daemonic, the sacred and extreme, [Porter's] poetics is shot through, too, with awareness of fakery and illusion. Finally, the currents of Porter's work are connective, sparking off and from a lineage of charged poetry, especially, arguabley, of confessionalism, and a tradition of hierophantic poetics. This essay examines Porter's poetics within the context of this lineage' (19). -
Pop Goes the Poet
1996
single work
column
biography
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 23 March 1996; (p. 11s) -
Bull-Leaping at Budinski's
1996
single work
column
— Appears in: The Age , 29 March 1996; (p. 18) -
Profession: Poet
1996
single work
biography
— Appears in: The Sunday Age , 5 May 1996; (p. 10) -
"The Giant Octopus is Dying": Maternal Archeology in Dorothy Porter's 'Crete'
1998
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Southerly , Autumn vol. 58 no. 1 1998; (p. 49-66)
Awards
- 1997 shortlisted Colin Roderick Award
- 1996 shortlisted NBC Banjo Awards — NBC Turnbull Fox Phillips Poetry Prize
Last amended 7 Sep 2022 11:30:03
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