"Lifesaver" (1931) is a poem by Australian poet
Elizabeth Riddell
Elizabeth Riddell (21 March 1910 – 3 July 1998) was a New Zealand-born Australian poet and journalist.
Life
Born in Napier, New Zealand, Elizabeth Richmond Riddell came to Australia in 1928 where she worked at ''Smith's Weekly'' and won a Wal ...
.
It was originally published in ''
The Bulletin'' on 4 March 1931,
as by "Elizabeth Richmond", and was subsequently reprinted in the author's single-author collections and a number of Australian poetry anthologies.
The poem depicts the death of a youth from drowning on an Australian beach as he is returned to shore by
lifesavers.
Critical reception
While reviewing the author's poetry collection ''Poems'' in 1948 a ''Bulletin'' reviewer noted: "The distinguishing qualities of Elizabeth Riddell's ''Poems'' (Ure Smith Pty. Ltd.) are a rich and colorful imagery and the sparkle of epigram...It is with some surprise that one realises, among the tropic landscapes or in the sunlight of wit, that almost all the poems are concerned, one way or another, with death. Sometimes, as in "Lifesaver," the theme is stated clearly and sharply."
Publication history
After the poem's initial publication in ''
The Bulletin'' it was reprinted as follows:
* ''Australian Poetry 1942'' edited by
Robert D. Fitzgerald (1942)
* ''Poems'' by Elizabeth Riddell (1948)
* ''An Anthology of Australian Verse'' edited by
George Mackaness (1952)
* ''New Land, New Language : An Anthology of Australian Verse'' edited by
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 ...
(1957)
* ''Forbears'' by Elizabeth Riddell (1961)
* ''Silence into Song : An Anthology of Australian Verse'' edited by Clifford O'Brien (1968)
* ''From the Midnight Courtyard'' by Elizabeth Riddell (1989)
* ''Selected Poems'' by Elizabeth Riddell (1992)
See also
*
1931 in Australian literature
*
1931 in poetry
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature (for instance, Irish or France).
Events
*Louis Zukofsky edits the February issue of ''Poetry'' magazine. The issue eventually will be recognized as the fou ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lifesaver
1931 poems
Australian poems
Lifesaving in Australia
Surf lifesaving