Alan Wearne
Encyclopedia
Alan 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
. After publishing two collections of poetry, he wrote a verse novel, The Nightmarkets, published in 1986 which won the Banjo Award and was adapted for performance.
His next book in the same genre, The Lovemakers, won the Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry
and the Arts Queensland Judith Wright Calanthe Award
. The first half of the novel was published by Penguin
, and its second by the ABC in 2004 as The Lovemakers: Book Two, Money and Nothing and co-won The Foundation for Australian Literary Studies’ Colin Roderick Award
and the H. T. Priestly Medal. Despite this critical success neither book was promoted properly and both volumes ended up being pulped. Shearsman Press in the UK has since republished the book in a single volume.
Alan Wearne's latest work, "The Australian Popular Songbook" was published in 2008 by Giramondo Publishing. He currently lectures in Creative Writing at the University of Wollongong
.
Alan Wearne was born and grew up in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. He studied history at Monash University
Monash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
where he met the poets Laurie Duggan
Laurie Duggan
Laurence "Laurie" James Duggan is an Australian poet, editor, and translator.-Life:Laurie Duggan was born in Melbourne and attended Monash University, where his friends included the poets Alan Wearne and John A. Scott. Both he and Scott won the Monash Poetry Prize...
and John A. Scott
John A. Scott
John Alan Scott is an English-Australian poet, novelist and academic....
. After publishing two collections of poetry, he wrote a verse novel, The Nightmarkets, published in 1986 which won the Banjo Award and was adapted for performance.
His next book in the same genre, The Lovemakers, won 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...
and the Arts Queensland Judith Wright Calanthe Award
Queensland Premier's Literary Awards
The Queensland Premier's Literary Awards were inaugurated in 1999 and have grown to become a leading literary awards program within Australia, with $225,000 in prizemoney over 14 categories. One of Australia's richest prizes, top categories offer up to $25,000 for 1st prize.-Fiction Book...
. The first half of the novel was published by Penguin
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
, and its second by the ABC in 2004 as The Lovemakers: Book Two, Money and Nothing and co-won The Foundation for Australian Literary Studies’ Colin Roderick Award
Colin Roderick Award
The Colin Roderick Award is presented annually by the Foundation for Australian Literary Studies at Queensland's James Cook University for "the best book published in Australia which deals with any aspect of Australian life". It was first presented in 1967 and currently has a prize of A$10,000....
and the H. T. Priestly Medal. Despite this critical success neither book was promoted properly and both volumes ended up being pulped. Shearsman Press in the UK has since republished the book in a single volume.
Alan Wearne's latest work, "The Australian Popular Songbook" was published in 2008 by Giramondo Publishing. He currently lectures in Creative Writing at the University of Wollongong
University of Wollongong
The University of Wollongong is a public university located in the coastal city of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, approximately 80 kilometres south of Sydney...
.
Books
- Public Relations (1972)
- New Devil, New Parish (1976)
- The Nightmarkets (Penguin, 1986) ISBN 0-14-007586-0
- Out Here (Newcastle upon Tyne : Bloodaxe BooksBloodaxe BooksBloodaxe Books is a British publishing house specialising in poetry.-History:It was founded in 1978 in Newcastle upon Tyne by Neil Astley, who is still editor and managing director. Joined in 1982 by chairman Simon Thirsk, Astley was later awarded an honorary D.Litt by Newcastle University in 1995...
1987) ISBN 0-906427-72-X - Kicking In Danger (Black PepperBlack pepperBlack pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is approximately in diameter, dark red when fully mature, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed...
1997) ISBN 1-876044-20-9 review - The Lovemakers: Book One, Saying All The Great Sexy Things (Penguin, 2001) ISBN 0-14-024541-3
- The Lovemakers: Book Two, Money and Nothing (ABC, 2004) ISBN 0-7333-1359-0 review review
- Sarsaparilla A Calypso (Polar Bear Press, 2007)
- The Australian Popular Songbook (Giramondo 2008) ISBN 978-1-920882-41-9
External links
- Alan Wearne Online Homepage
- ALM Australian Literature Resources : Alan Wearne Contents page excerpts etc.
- Review