''Clubbing of the Gunfire : 101 Australian War Poems'' is a anthology of poems by Australian poets edited by

Chris Wallace-Crabbe Christopher Keith Wallace-Crabbe (born 6 May 1934) is an Australian poet and emeritus professor in the Australian Centre, University of Melbourne. Life and career Wallace-Crabbe was born in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond. His father was Ke ...

and Peter Pierce, published by

Melbourne University Press Melbourne University Publishing (MUP) is the book publishing arm of the University of Melbourne. The press is currently a member of the Association of University Presses. History MUP was founded in 1922 as Melbourne University Press to sell text ...

in 1984. The collection contains 99 poems from 71 different poets. The poems here are grouped into four parts: Part One: Imperial Wars 1885-902 Part Two: The Great war 1914-1918 Part Three: The Second World war 1939-1945 Part Four: Asian Wars 1950-1972

* A. B. Paterson ** " El Mahdi to the Australian Troops" * H. P. Ellis ** "His Letter : To the Committee, New South Wales Patriotic Fund" *

Christopher Brennan Christopher John Brennan (1 November 1870 – 5 October 1932) was an Australian poet, scholar and literary critic. Biography Brennan was born in Haymarket, an inner suburb of Sydney, to Christopher Brennan (d. 1919), a brewer, and his wife ...

** "The Burden of Tyre : VI" * Randolph Bedford ** " The Rhyme of Rudyard K." *

Henry Lawson Henry Archibald Hertzberg Lawson (17 June 1867 – 2 September 1922) was an Australian writer and bush poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period ...

** " Who'll Wear the Beaten Colours?" *

Breaker Morant Harry Harbord "Breaker" Morant (born Edwin Henry Murrant, 9 December 1864 – 27 February 1902) was an English horseman, bush balladist, military officer, and war criminal who was convicted and executed for murdering nine prisoners-of-war ...

** " Butchered to Make a Dutchman's Holiday" * R. Stewart ** "The Sword of Genghis Khan" *

** "Irish to English : 26th April 1916" ** From : "A Chant of Doom" ** "Reflections of a Retired Symbolist Poet 1916" *

** "England Yet" *

Leon Gellert Leon Maxwell Gellert (17 May 1892 – 22 August 1977) was an Australian poet. Early life and education He was born in Walkerville, South Australia, Walkerville, a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. He was the grandchild of Hungarian immigra ...

** "The Wrecked Aeroplane" ** "The Death" ** "Requiem (The Last to Leave)" * Harley Matthews ** "True Patriot" *

Mary Gilmore Dame Mary Jean Gilmore (née Cameron; 16 August 18653 December 1962) was an Australian writer and journalist known for her prolific contributions to Australian literature and the broader national discourse. She wrote both prose and poetry. Gi ...

** "Gallipoli" * J. Le Gay Brereton ** "The Dead" *

Vance Palmer Edward Vivian "Vance" Palmer (28 August 1885 – 15 July 1959) was an Australian novelist, dramatist, essayist and critic. Early life Vance Palmer was born in Bundaberg, Queensland, on 28 August 1885 and attended the Ipswich Grammar School. Wi ...

** "The Farmer Remembers the Somme" ** "The Camp" *

Frederic Manning Frederic Manning (22 July 188222 February 1935) was an Australian poet and novelist. Biography Born in Sydney, Manning was one of eight children of local politician Sir William Patrick Manning. His family were Roman Catholics of Irish origin ...

** "The Trenches" ** "Grotesque" * Furnley Maurice ** From : "To Gods from the Weary Nations" * Oscar Walters ** "One Sunday Mornin'" * Edwin Field Gerard, 'Gerardy' ** "Riding Song" *

C. J. Dennis Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis (7 September 1876 – 22 June 1938), better known as C. J. Dennis, was an Australian poet and journalist known for his best-selling verse novel ''The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke'' (1915). Alongside ...

** " The Push" *

John Shaw Neilson John Shaw Neilson (1872–1942) was an Australian poet. Slightly built, for most of his life he worked as a labourer, fruit-picking, clearing scrub, navvying and working in quarries, and, after 1928, working as a messenger with the Country Road ...

** "Take Down the Fiddle, Karl!" * Les Murray ** "The Trainee, 1914" ** "Lament for the Country Soldiers" ** "Visiting Anzac in the Year of Metrication" * Roger McDonald ** "1915" *

Geoff Page Geoffrey Donald Page (born 7 July 1940) is an Australian poet, novelist, translator, teacher and jazz enthusiast. He has published 22 collections of poetry, as well as prose and verse novels. Poetry and jazz are his driving interests, and he ...

** "Christ at Gallipoli" ** "Trench Dreams" *

** "The Shapes of Gallipoli" * David Martin ** "Soldiers" ** "Lament for the Gordons" * Harley Matthews ** "Dream in the Park" ** "Resurgence" ** "Casualty" *

Geoffrey Dutton Geoffrey 'Geppie' Piers Henry Dutton Officer of the Order of Australia, AO (2 August 192217 September 1998) was an Australian author and historian. Early life and education Dutton was born at Anlaby Station near Kapunda, South Australia on 2 Au ...

** "Night Flight" ** "Enterprise, My Heart" ** "The Recruit" * Kenneth Mackenzie ** "The Tree at Post 4" ** "Searchlights" ** "Dawn (Post 3)" * J. S. Manifold ** " The Tomb of Lt. John Learmonth, AIF" ** "Fife Tune" ** "Defensive Position" ** "Oerlikon (Maritime A.A.)" * David Griffin ** "Changi Impromptu" * James Picot ** "Australia to a War" * R. S. Byrnes ** "Song Out of Syria" * David Campbell ** "Men in Green" ** "Pedrina" * John Quinn ** "Argument" * Paul Buddee ** "Stand To" * Mungo MacCallum ** "The Dream" *

William Hart-Smith William Hart-Smith (23 November 1911 – 15 April 1990) was a New Zealand/Australian poet who was born in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. His family moved to New Zealand in 1924. He had about "seven years of formal schooling" in England, Sco ...

** "Night Picket" * J. Elgar Owen ** "Maturity" * G. A. Wagner * "Thoughts on Striking Camp : Philippeville, Algerie" * John Millett ** From : "Tail Arse Charlie" * David McNicoll ** "Ski Patrol" * Anonymous ** "On Leaving the Middle East" * F. B. Fletcher ** "The Straits of Bab-el-Mandeb - A Mezzotint" * John Thompson ** "1943" *

Kenneth Slessor Kenneth Adolphe Slessor (27 March 190130 June 1971) was an Australian poet, journalist and official war correspondent in World War II. He was one of Australia's leading poets, notable particularly for the absorption of modernist influences int ...

** "An Inscription for Dog River" ** "

Beach Burial "Beach Burial" (1944) is a poem by Australian poet Kenneth Slessor. It was originally published in ''Southerly'' journal in 1944, and was subsequently reprinted in the author's single-author collections and a number of Australian poetry antho ...

" * Francis Webb ** "The Gunner" ** "Dawn Wind on the Islands" *

Clive Turnbull Stanley Clive Perry Turnbull (22 December 1906 – 25 May 1975) was an Australian writer and journalist. He was born in Glenorchy in Tasmania. He joined ''The Mercury'' newspaper as a reporter in 1922 and then moved to Melbourne where he worked ...

** "Do This For Me, Then" * Elisabeth Lambert ** "Wartime Capital" * Mary Bell ** "Horizons" *

Judith Wright Judith Arundell Wright (31 May 191525 June 2000) was an Australian poet, environmentalist and campaigner for Aboriginal land rights. She was a recipient of the Christopher Brennan Award and nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 196 ...

** "The Trains" ** "The Idler" *

Albrecht Haushofer Albrecht Georg Haushofer (7 January 1903 – 23 April 1945) was a German geographer, diplomat, author and member of the German Resistance to Nazism. Life Haushofer was born in Munich, the son of the retired World War I general and geographer K ...

James McAuley James Phillip McAuley (12 October 1917 – 15 October 1976) was an Australian academic, poet, journalist, literary critic, and a prominent convert to Roman Catholicism. He was involved in the Ern Malley poetry hoax. Life and career McAuley w ...

(translator) ** "Companions" *

Vincent Buckley Vincent Thomas Buckley (8 July 1925 – 12 November 1988) was an Australian poet, teacher, editor, essayist and critic. Life Buckley was born in 1925 in Romsey, Victoria to Patrick Buckley, a carter and sometime farm labourer, and his wife Fra ...

** "Give Me Time and I'll Tell You" *

R. A. Simpson Ronald Albert Simpson (1 February 1929 – 2 October 2002) was an Australian poet and poetry editor, artist and art lecturer. He was one of the Melbourne poets, and had a long tenure as poetry editor of ''The Age''. Life Simpson was born ...

** "The Start of the Second World War" *

David Malouf David George Joseph Malouf (; born 20 March 1934) is an Australian poet, novelist, short story writer, playwright and Libretto, librettist. Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2008, Malouf has lectured at both the University ...

** "The Year of the Foxes" * Allen Afterman ** "Narcissus Near Birkenau" * Rodney Hall ** "Wedding Day at Nagasaki" *

Ray Mathew Raymond Frank "Ray" Mathew (14 April 192927 May 2002) was an Australian author. Mathew wrote poetry, drama, radio plays and filmscripts, short stories, novels, arts and literature criticism, and other non-fiction. He left Australia in 1960 and nev ...

** "Let Us Not Pretend" * Brian Vrepont ** "Comment 1951-52" * Robert D. FitzGerald ** "Deep Within Man" ** "Verse for a Friend" * Roland Robinson ** "Cleaning the Tailer (The Status Quo)" * David Campbell ** "My Lai" * Craig Powell ** "Wedding Feast" * Bruce Beaver ** "Poem" ** "Letters to Live Poets: XV" *

John Blight Frederick John Blight (30 July 1913 – 12 May 1995) was an Australian poet of Cornish origin, his ancestors having arrived in South Australia on the ''Lisander'', in 1851. In the 1987 recording ''John Blight'', he describes his Cornish backg ...

** "Helmet Shell" * Charles Higham ** "Missing in Vietnam" * Evan Jones ** "A Running War" *

Hal Colebatch Sir Harry Pateshall Colebatch (29 March 1872 – 12 February 1953) was a long-serving figure in Western Australian politics. He was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council for nearly 20 years, the twelfth Premier of Western Aus ...

** "Poem" * Roger McDonald ** "Spider Garden" * Jennifer Strauss ** "A Just Cause" *

A. D. Hope Alec Derwent Hope (21 July 190713 July 2000) was an Australian poet and essayist known for his satirical slant. He was also a critic, teacher and academic. He was referred to in an American journal as "the 20th century's greatest 18th-century ...

** "Inscription for Any War (Inscription for a War)" * Bruce Dawe ** "The Saigon-Dalat Night-Train Runs Infrequently..." ** " Weapons Training" ** "The Fate of Armies" ** "Homecoming"

Critical reception

Gerard Windsor, in '' The Bulletin'', found the volume "is an alternative history of Australia’s second century. I am not sure the book realises this itself. But the outline is there." In ''The Canberra Times'' reviewer Peter Lugg noted that there "are really two collections in this rather interesting anthology of war poems...One group of poems was written by poets who lived at the time of the events described... he other group ofpoems were written at some remove from the events they describe, although this is not always true in relation to Vietnam." Lugg considered that the poems in the second group were more successful and that not "all the poems in this collection are memorable. Nevertheless they do provide an interesting text to be read alongside the histories".

Notes

* Although the title indicates there are 101 poems in the volume, the true count is 99. * Epigraph: "Between the sob and clubbing of the gunfire / Someone, it seems, has time for this, / To pluck them from the shallows and bury them in burrows / And tread the sand upon their nakedness..." – Kenneth Slessor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clubbing the Gunfire Australian poetry anthologies

Contents

Critical reception

Notes

See also

References