AustLit

This article provides a close reading of Les Murray's poem 'Equanimity'in the context of Emmanuel Le´vinas' ethical thought. It argues that Murray's poem can be located in relation to Paul Celan's concept of the 'turn of breath', a hermeneutics of voice and address that points to Le´vinas' understanding of the face of the other. 'Equanimity' both works out a conception of encounter with the other that has strong parallels in Le´vinas particularly concerning the themes of speaking and seeing), and seeks to move beyond an ethics based in difference by incorporating speech and vision into a theology of grace. (Author's abstract)