Judith Catherine Rodriguez (13 February 1936 ā 22 November 2018) was an Australian
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wr ...
. She was a recipient of the
Christopher Brennan Award.
Life
Rodriguez was born Judith Catherine Green in
Perth
Perth is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the Australian states and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth most populous city in Aust ...
and grew up in
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
. She was educated at
Brisbane Girls Grammar School, and graduated from the
University of Queensland
, mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work
, established =
, endowment = A$224.3 million
, budget = A$2.1 billion
, type = Public research university
, chancellor = Peter Varghese
, vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry
, city = ...
with a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...
. She then travelled to
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
, where she received a
Master of Arts
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. ...
from
Cambridge University
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
. Following this she took up a tutorship at Kingston University, Jamaica, where she met her first husband,
Colombian academic Fabio Rodriguez.
She published numerous volumes of poetry, some illustrated by her own
woodcut
Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking
Printmaking is the process of creating artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only t ...
s, edited an anthology and the collected poems of
Jennifer Rankin
Jennifer Rankin (born Jennifer Mary Haynes) (28 November 1941 ā 8 December 1979) was an Australian poet and playwright.
Early life and education
Jennifer Mary Haynes was born in Chatswood, New South Wales, on 28 November 1941. She grew up in ...
. From 1979 to 1982, she was poetry editor of the literary journal ''
Meanjin
''Meanjin'' (), formerly ''Meanjin Papers'' and ''Meanjin Quarterly'', is an Australian literary magazine. The name is derived from the Turrbal word for the spike of land where the city of Brisbane is located. It was founded in 1940 in Brisban ...
'', and from 1988 to 1997 she was a poetry editor with the publisher
Penguin Australia. The play ''Poor Johanna'', co-written with
Robyn Archer
Robyn Archer, AO, CdOAL (born 1948) is an Australian singer, writer, stage director, artistic director, and public advocate of the arts, in Australia and internationally.
Life
Archer was born Robyn Smith in Prospect, South Australia. She ...
, was produced in 1994 and her
libretto for
Moya Henderson's
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libre ...
''
Lindy'', about the
Azaria Chamberlain disappearance, was performed at the
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century archit ...
in 2002. She was a recipient of the
Christopher Brennan Award and taught at
La Trobe University
La Trobe University is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora, Victoria, Bundoora. The university was established in 196 ...
(1969ā1985). In 1989 she took up a lectureship in writing at Victoria College, which in 1993 became part of Deakin University, where she continued to teach until her retirement in 2003. She was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1994.
Rodriguez died on 22 November 2018. She is survived by her four children and their father, and by her second husband,
Tom Shapcott, whom she married in 1982.
Works
Poetry
*''Four Poets'' (as Judith Green), with others. (Melbourne, Cheshire, 1962)
*''Nu-Plastik Fanfare Red''. ( St. Lucia,
University of Queensland Press
Established in 1948, University of Queensland Press (UQP) is an Australian publishing house.
Founded as a traditional university press, UQP has since branched into publishing books for general readers in the areas of fiction, non-fiction, poetr ...
, 1973)
*''Broadsheet Number 23''. (Canberra, Open Door Press, 1976)
*''Water Life''. (University of Queensland Press, 1976)
review*''Shadow on Glass''. (Canberra: Open Door Press, 1978)
*''Three Poems''. (Melbourne, Old Metropolitan Meat Market, 1979)
*''Angels. Melbourne'', (Old Metropolitan Meat Market, 1979)
*''Arapede''. (Melbourne, Old Metropolitan Meat Market, 1979)
*''Mudcrab at Gambaro's''. (UQP, 1980)
*''Witch Heart''. (Melbourne: Sisters, 1982)
*''Floridian Poems''. (Winter Park, Florida, Rollins College, 1986)
*''New and selected poems: The house by water''. (1988)
*''The Cold''. Canberra, National Library of Australia (Pamphlets Poets), 1992
*''The Hanging of Minnie Thwaites''. (Melbourne, Arcade Publications, 2012)
*''The Feather Boy & Other Poems'' (Sydney, Puncher and Wattmann, 2018)
Plays
*''Poor Johanna'' (produced Adelaide, 1994 ). In ''Heroines'', edited by
Dale Spender
Dale Spender (born 22 September 1943)''The Bibliography of Australian Literature: PāZ'' edited by John Arnold, John Hay (page 409). is an Australian feminist scholar, teacher, writer and consultant. In 1983, Dale Spender was co-founder of an ...
. Melbourne, Penguin, 1991
*''
Lindy'' (opera libretto). Music by
Moya Henderson.
Edited
*''Mrs Noah and the Minoan Queen''. (Melbourne: Sisters, 1983)
*''Poems from the Australian's 20th Anniversary Competition''. With
Andrew Taylor, Sydney,
Angus & Robertson
Angus & Robertson (A&R) is a major Australian bookseller, publisher and printer. As book publishers, A&R has contributed substantially to the promotion and development of Australian literature.Alison, Jennifer (2001). "Publishers and editors: A ...
, 1985
*''Jennifer Rankin: Collected Poems''. (UQP, 1990)
*''The Collected Poems of Jennifer Rankin''. St. Lucia, University of Queensland Press. 1990
References
External links
6 poemsat Thylazine
from ''The Hindu''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Judith
1936 births
2018 deaths
Australian poets
Australian opera librettists
Members of the Order of Australia
Alumni of the University of Cambridge
University of Queensland alumni
Academic staff of La Trobe University
Australian women poets
Australian women dramatists and playwrights
Women librettists