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y separately published work icon The Vital Decade : Ten Years of Australian Art and Letters anthology   criticism   poetry   short story   prose  
Issue Details: First known date: 1968... 1968 The Vital Decade : Ten Years of Australian Art and Letters
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Notes

  • Reprinted from Australian Letters, 1957-1967.

Contents

* Contents derived from the Melbourne, Victoria,:Sun Books ,Australian Letters , 1968 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.
Brennan and the Turn of the Century The European View of Christopher Brennan, Bryn Davies , single work criticism (p. 15-17)
Our Children in Cole Land, Randolph Stow , single work criticism (p. 18-25)
C.J. Dennis and 'The Gadfly', Rosemary Wighton , single work criticism (p. 26-33)
Kenneth Slessor, Richard Aldington , single work criticism (p. 34-36)
The Dogmani"The dogman dangles from the clouds,", Robert Clark , single work poetry (p. 37)
Bert Schultzi"Bert Schultz on his West Coast farm", Colin Thiele , single work poetry (p. 38)
The Wild Duck's Nesti"In the unbridled spring, obliquely walking,", Randolph Stow , single work poetry (p. 39)
Occupational Therapyi"Out of my weakness and my misery", Ray Mathew , single work poetry (p. 40)
As the Kingfisher Racing the Riveri"Walking in the pinelight of old gardens", Jessica Aldridge , single work poetry (p. 42-43)
The Picnici"This is what picnicking is for.", David Campbell , single work poetry (p. 44)
Prayer for Raini"Sweet rain, bless our windy farm,", David Campbell , single work poetry (p. 44)
Lovers' Wordsi"Like swallows, no, like hawks they live", David Campbell , single work poetry (p. 45)
Love's Truth Windy Nightsi"Naked in snowdrifts, we've made love,", David Campbell , single work poetry (p. 45)
An Epitaphi"Here lies a worthy academic,", Ian Allison Boyd , single work poetry (p. 49)
Thinking to Write an Odei"Thinking to write an ode, to avoid elegy,", T. Harri Jones , single work poetry (p. 50)
Old Houses, Ray Sinclair-Wood , single work poetry (p. 51)
The Anglersi"The river scuds and shifts all turns", Norman Talbot , single work poetry (p. 55)
Three Responses to Dying : Conformer'si"Why must all arum lilies be alike?", Rodney Hall , single work poetry (p. 57)
Three Responses to Dying : Hero'si"The goanna, curved to the scales", Rodney Hall , single work poetry (p. 57)
Three Responses to Dying, Rodney Hall , single work poetry (p. 57-58)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

Works about this Work

The Alpha and Omega of Brennan's The Wanderer Michael Buhagiar , 2011 single work criticism
— Appears in: JASAL , vol. 11 no. 2 2011;
'The influence of Nietzsche's Also Sprach Zarathustra on Christopher Brennan's poem The Wanderer has been underestimated. It is especially apparent in the epigraph, and the poems (86 and 99) which open and close the sequence. The inner quest described in The Wanderer is generally held to have been a failure, but a revaluation in the light of the Nietzschean influence, incorporating a recension of the crucial poem 99, reveals a different story. The annular nature of the quest as described in the epigraph derives from Nietzsche's notion of Eternal Return , on which he confessed Zarathustra to be founded. Themes from Zarathustra dominate poem 86, and recur in poem 99. The line in the latter 'no ending of the way, no home, no goal', which has been widely interpreted as a confession of failure of the quest, is demonstrated to have been sourced from Zarathustra, where it does not bear that inference at all, but rather of triumph over doubt. The pivotal word 'withhold' in poem 99 is shown to be used in its archaic and neutral sense of 'hold within', rather than its modern sense of 'refuse to give up'. The Wanderer's quest is a success to approximately the same degree as that of Nietzsche's hero. Such clarity as to Brennan's achievement is essential if he is to attain the global reputation which many would argue he deserves.' (Author's abstract)
Untitled Laurie Hergenhan , 1970 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Literary Studies , May vol. 4 no. 3 1970; (p. 299-303)

— Review of On Native Grounds : Australian Writing from Meanjin Quarterly 1967 anthology poetry short story extract criticism biography ; Meanjin Quarterly Index, 1940-1965 Marjorie Tipping , 1969 single work index ; The Vital Decade : Ten Years of Australian Art and Letters 1968 anthology criticism poetry short story prose
Untitled Scrutarius , 1969 single work review
— Appears in: Walkabout , vol. 35 no. 2 1969; (p. 48)

— Review of The Vital Decade : Ten Years of Australian Art and Letters 1968 anthology criticism poetry short story prose
Untitled C. Turnbull , 1968 single work review
— Appears in: The Age , 26 October 1968; (p. 13)

— Review of The Vital Decade : Ten Years of Australian Art and Letters 1968 anthology criticism poetry short story prose
Untitled C. Pearl , 1968 single work review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 21 September 1968; (p. 22)

— Review of The Vital Decade : Ten Years of Australian Art and Letters 1968 anthology criticism poetry short story prose
Untitled Laurie Hergenhan , 1970 single work review
— Appears in: Australian Literary Studies , May vol. 4 no. 3 1970; (p. 299-303)

— Review of On Native Grounds : Australian Writing from Meanjin Quarterly 1967 anthology poetry short story extract criticism biography ; Meanjin Quarterly Index, 1940-1965 Marjorie Tipping , 1969 single work index ; The Vital Decade : Ten Years of Australian Art and Letters 1968 anthology criticism poetry short story prose
Untitled Brian Kiernan , 1968 single work review
— Appears in: The Australian , 28 September 1968; (p. 12)

— Review of The Vital Decade : Ten Years of Australian Art and Letters 1968 anthology criticism poetry short story prose
Untitled Leonie Kramer , 1968 single work review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 23 November 1968; (p. 24)

— Review of The Vital Decade : Ten Years of Australian Art and Letters 1968 anthology criticism poetry short story prose
Splendid 'Last Post' Geoffrey Lehmann , 1968 single work review
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 26 October vol. 90 no. 4625 1968; (p. 85)

— Review of The Vital Decade : Ten Years of Australian Art and Letters 1968 anthology criticism poetry short story prose
Untitled F. H. Mares , 1968 single work review
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 21 September 1968; (p. 18)

— Review of The Vital Decade : Ten Years of Australian Art and Letters 1968 anthology criticism poetry short story prose
The Alpha and Omega of Brennan's The Wanderer Michael Buhagiar , 2011 single work criticism
— Appears in: JASAL , vol. 11 no. 2 2011;
'The influence of Nietzsche's Also Sprach Zarathustra on Christopher Brennan's poem The Wanderer has been underestimated. It is especially apparent in the epigraph, and the poems (86 and 99) which open and close the sequence. The inner quest described in The Wanderer is generally held to have been a failure, but a revaluation in the light of the Nietzschean influence, incorporating a recension of the crucial poem 99, reveals a different story. The annular nature of the quest as described in the epigraph derives from Nietzsche's notion of Eternal Return , on which he confessed Zarathustra to be founded. Themes from Zarathustra dominate poem 86, and recur in poem 99. The line in the latter 'no ending of the way, no home, no goal', which has been widely interpreted as a confession of failure of the quest, is demonstrated to have been sourced from Zarathustra, where it does not bear that inference at all, but rather of triumph over doubt. The pivotal word 'withhold' in poem 99 is shown to be used in its archaic and neutral sense of 'hold within', rather than its modern sense of 'refuse to give up'. The Wanderer's quest is a success to approximately the same degree as that of Nietzsche's hero. Such clarity as to Brennan's achievement is essential if he is to attain the global reputation which many would argue he deserves.' (Author's abstract)
Last amended 5 Feb 2004 16:04:20
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