AustLit

'In April this year Rosemary Dobson received a copy of her new book Rosemary Dobson: Collected. Reviewers responded to the opportunity to capture an overarching statement of Dobson's poetics and career. Literary editor of The Age Jason Steger assembled a collective portrait of Dobson and her work, compiling the words of writers and editors and weaving them with his own. Helen Garner's comments highlight Dobson's "refined or austere approach to things . . . a sense of discretion and reserve." Ivor Indyk describes "a great sense of clarity and decorum" while Chris Wallace-Crabbe admires "the steadiness of her poetry." Peter Rose who in his capacity as editor of Australian Book Review published some of Dobson's most recent poems, emphasises "a real finesse and sustained quality". (Author's introduction)