AustLit

In this, his seventh book of poetry, written over a period of more than forty years, Graeme Hetherington explores how his friendship with James McAuley has parallels with that of Gilgamesh and Enkidu in the ancient Mesopotamian epic. As in the original, it is a warts and all treatment, with human behaviour in relationship to loss and the inevitability of death being the concerns that bind it together.

‘Graeme Hetherington’s depiction of his relationship with his friend and mentor James McAuley is enhanced by framing it within the context of the Gilgamesh epic. This provides an opportunity not only to describe the nature of a personal relationship in some depth, but to consider broader aspects of the human condition - love, loss, loneliness, mutability and mortality. By exploring both the personal and universal so honestly and powerfully, Hetherington adds to our understanding of both his subject and himself.’ - Ralph Spaulding' (Publication summary)