AustLit

Kenneth Slessor's 'Five Bells' is a meditation on time and friendship. It takes its cue from the Arabian tale in which a man immerses his head in a bowl of magic water and envisions a grand epic tale. The poem is presented here through the medium of CD-ROM, affording the 'reader' the opportunity to experience it through layers of image and sound. The opening screen shows a writer's desk, from which readers can gather together the threads underlying Slessor's work. A mini-film and soundtrack give the 1939 poem a fresh contemporary expression. The CD-ROM also includes artwork from Smith's Weekly, readings of other Slessor poems, and a bibliography.