Vicki Viidikas (25 September 1948 – 27 November 1998) was a twentieth-century

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

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 (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

and

prose Prose is language that follows the natural flow or rhythm of speech, ordinary grammatical structures, or, in writing, typical conventions and formatting. Thus, prose ranges from informal speaking to formal academic writing. Prose differs most n ...

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

. Her first poem, ''At East Balmain,'' was published when she was 19 years old. Her poetry, fiction and drawings were published in literary magazines, as well as several collections of poetry. She wrote prolifically up until her untimely death at 50 years old, which was much mourned in Australia's poetry community. Viidikas was an iconic member of the collection of Sydney poets now known as the “generation of ‘68”. The ‘ counter culture’ and her travels in

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, especially

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, are recurrent subjects in her poetry.

Early life

Viidikas was born and grew up in

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, Australia. Her mother, Betty Kunig, was Anglo-Australian, her father

Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also

...

. She had a sister, Ingrid Lisners, who has been involved with publishing the collection ''New and Rediscovered'' in tribute to her sister. Viidikas attended schools in

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

and Sydney, until the age of 15 when she left education and her home. After leaving home, she held various jobs, including veterinary assistant, typist, bartender, apple packer, bookshop assistant, and research assistant, before starting to write at 16 without any formal training.

Career

Alternative literary magazines began publishing Viidikas' poetry and fiction in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Her writing discussed the drug and sexual revolution taking place. She joined the Balmain

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

scene in the late 1960s, she encountered, among others, Ken Bolton, John Forbes, Martin Johnston and

John Tranter John Ernest Tranter (29 April 1943 – 21 April 2023) was an Australian poet, publisher and editor. He published more than twenty books of poetry; devising, with Jan Garrett, the long running ABC radio program ''Books and Writing''; and foundin ...

. Michael Wilding's recollections of her can be found in his 'Wild and Woolley: a publishing memoir' (Giramondo, 2011) and 'Growing Wild' (Arcadia, 2016). Viidikas' work was influenced by her travels, including trips to Europe and the Middle East. She lived in India for over a decade in the 1970s and 1980s, with her experiences informing the collection ''India Ink'' published in 1984.

Works

Poetry *''Condition Red''. (

University of Queensland The University of Queensland is a Public university, public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone ...

, 1973) *''Knabel''. (Sydney: Wild & Woolley, 1978) *''India Ink: A collection of prose poems written in India''. (Sydney: Hale & Iremonger, 1984) Short stories *''Wrappings''. (Sydney : Wild & Woolley, 1974) Collected editions * ''New and Rediscovered.'' ( Transit Lounge, 2010) Viidikas' novel ''Kali and the Dung Beetle has not been published''.

Influence

In 1975,

Stephen Wallace Stephen Henry Wallace A.M. (born 23 December 1943) is an Australian film and television director, screenwriter, producer, published author and acting coach. He has directed eight feature films, nine telemovies, numerous short films, worked on ...

directed a short film, ''Break Up,'' from the short story ‘Getting it all Together’ published in ''Wrappings''.

Awards

* Australia Council Grants, Awards and Fellowships, Literature Board Grants, 1980 * Australia Council Grants, Awards and Fellowships, Literature Board Fellowship, 1978 * Australia Council Grants, Awards and Fellowships, Literature Board Fellowship, 1975 * Australia Council Grants, Awards and Fellowships, Literature Board Grants, Young Writers' Grant, 197

Personal life

During the late 1960s, Viidikas was briefly married to artist Robert (Bob) Finlayson. Whilst living in King's Cross and then Balmain, they both became involved with the Poetry Society of Australia.

References

External links

Foreword Viidikas: Reintroduction of the ’68 Poet
by Kerry Leves for ''Cordite Poetry Review'' (via Transit Lounge Publishing)

by Stephen Oliver
Fuori le mura: Seven Vicki Viidikas Poems
by Gig Ryan

at Australian Literature Resources (archived 2009)
Vicki's Voice - Remembering Vicki Viidikas
by

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Viidikas, Vicki 1948 births 1998 deaths Writers from Sydney Australian people of Estonian descent Australian women poets 20th-century Australian women writers 20th-century Australian poets