Alan Gould
Encyclopedia
Alan Gould is a contemporary Australia
n novelist and poet
.
Born in London
Alan Gould's family lived in Northern Ireland
, Germany
and Singapore
before arriving in Australia in 1966. He completed a BA
at Australian National University
and a Diploma of Education at the then Canberra College of Advanced Education. Having worked as a nuclear physics technician and agricultural labourer he began writing full time in 1973, occasionally teaching and writing journalism.
Gould's first books of poems, Icelandic Solitaries, was published in 1978. Since then numerous volumes of poetry and fiction have followed, with his best known novel being To the Burning City (1991) about the relationship between two brothers set in World War II
. His work has been awarded the Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry
(1981), the Foundation for Australian Literary Studies Best Book of the Year Award (1985), the National Book Council Banjo Award for Fiction (1992), the Royal Blind Society Audio Book of the Year Award (1999), The Philip Hodgins Memorial Award for contribution to Australian Literature (1999), and The Grace Leven Award For Poetry (2006 for The Past Completes Me - Selected Poems 1973-2003).
His most recent books have been a novel, The Lakewoman, from Australian Scholarly Press, and a collection of poems, Folk Tunes, from Salt Publishing, both in 2009. The Lakewoman was shortlisted for the 2010 Prime Minister's Literary Awards
.
He is at work on a picaresque novel, The Poets’ Stairwell.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n novelist and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
.
Born in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Alan Gould's family lived in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
before arriving in Australia in 1966. He completed a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
at Australian National University
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
and a Diploma of Education at the then Canberra College of Advanced Education. Having worked as a nuclear physics technician and agricultural labourer he began writing full time in 1973, occasionally teaching and writing journalism.
Gould's first books of poems, Icelandic Solitaries, was published in 1978. Since then numerous volumes of poetry and fiction have followed, with his best known novel being To the Burning City (1991) about the relationship between two brothers set in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. His work has been awarded the Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry
Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry
The Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry is awarded annually as part of the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards for a book of collected poems or for a single poem of substantial length published in book form...
(1981), the Foundation for Australian Literary Studies Best Book of the Year Award (1985), the National Book Council Banjo Award for Fiction (1992), the Royal Blind Society Audio Book of the Year Award (1999), The Philip Hodgins Memorial Award for contribution to Australian Literature (1999), and The Grace Leven Award For Poetry (2006 for The Past Completes Me - Selected Poems 1973-2003).
His most recent books have been a novel, The Lakewoman, from Australian Scholarly Press, and a collection of poems, Folk Tunes, from Salt Publishing, both in 2009. The Lakewoman was shortlisted for the 2010 Prime Minister's Literary Awards
Prime Minister's Literary Awards
The Australian Prime Minister's Literary Awards were announced at the end of 2007 by the incoming Rudd Ministry following the 2007 election. They are administered by the Minister for the Arts....
.
He is at work on a picaresque novel, The Poets’ Stairwell.
External links
- Alan Gould - Author Webpage Synopsis & extract of upcoming novel
- A Birdseye View of the Norwegian Sea another extract from The Seaglass Spiral
- More Short Takes at QuadrantQuadrant (magazine)Quadrant is an Australian literary and cultural journal. The magazine takes a conservative position on political and social issues, describing itself as sceptical of 'unthinking Leftism, or political correctness, and its "smelly little orthodoxies"'. Quadrant reviews literature, as well as...
- On poets being paid for their work Essay with Geoff PageGeoff PageGeoffrey Donald Page is an Australian poet, translator, teacher and jazz enthusiast.He has published over seventeen collections of poetry, as well as prose and verse novels. Poetry and jazz are his driving interests, and he has also written a biography of the jazz musician, Bernie McGann...
at Thylazine - ‘Ballade for Alan Gould’ Poem by Alan WearneAlan WearneAlan Wearne is an Australian poet.Alan Wearne was born and grew up in Melbourne. He studied history at Monash University where he met the poets Laurie Duggan and John A. Scott...
- Marching in the Streets Gould on protesting against the Vietnam WarVietnam WarThe Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
(Video & transcript)