Peter Porter
Peter Porter was an influential Australian poet, born on February 16, 1929, in Brisbane, Queensland. After experiencing a tragic childhood marked by the death of his mother, he began his career as a newspaper reporter in 1947. In 1951, Porter immigrated to England, where he worked in various jobs while developing his poetic voice. His first poetry collection, "Once Bitten, Twice Bitten," was published in 1961, the same year he married Jannice Henry. Porter's work gained recognition when included in the influential anthology "Penguin Modern Poets Two" in 1962. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, he published several acclaimed collections, including "The Cost of Seriousness," which reflected on personal loss and struggles. He held significant literary positions, such as writer-in-residence at the University of Western Australia in 1987, and received numerous prestigious awards, including the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry in 2002. Porter's poetry, often compared to W. H. Auden's, is celebrated for its technical skill and thematic depth, establishing him as a vital voice in contemporary English poetry.
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Peter Porter
Poet
- Born: February 16, 1929
- Birthplace: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Died: April 23, 2010
Biography
Peter Porter was born on February 16, 1929, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, to William and Marion Porter. He spent his childhood in Brisbane until his mother died tragically and unexpectedly when young Porter was only nine years old. At that time, his father sent him to boarding school. He finished at Toowomba Grammar School and went immediately to work as a newspaper reporter in 1947.
In 1951, Porter immigrated to England, where he held a number of jobs ranging from bookseller to copywriter for an advertising agency. During this time he also wrote poetry, although very little of it was published. He also met regularly with a writing group known simply as “The Group.” The experience was formative for Porter.
In 1961, his first book of poetry, Once Bitten, Twice Bitten, was published. In the same year, he married Jannice Henry. During this time Porter also established himself as a literary journalist. In 1962, Porter’s work was included in Penguin Modern Poets Two, an important anthology of contemporary work. This publication brought him to the fore as an important young poet.
The early 1970’s were difficult years for Porter. In 1974, he returned to Australia for a visit and began an affair with Sally Lehmann. In the same year, his wife Jannice committed suicide. These two events figure prominently in his 1978 collection, The Cost of Seriousness, considered by many to be his best work. In all, Porter published some fifteen books during the 1970’s and 1980’s. He was appointed writer- in-residence at the University of Western Australia in Perth in 1987, an indication of his growing influence in the literary world.
Porter continued to write prolifically throughout the 1990’s and 2000’s. In 2001, he published Max Is Missing, a volume compared to the work of poet W. H. Auden. In 2004, he published Afterburner, a volume that was well reviewed.
Porter’s poetry has received wide acclaim and earned him many awards, including honorary doctorates from the universities of Melbourne, Sydney, and Queensland. In 1983, his Collected Poems won the Duff Cooper Prize; five years later, he won the Whitbread Poetry Award for The Automatic Oracle, published in 1987. He won the Gold Medal for Australian Literature in1990; Max Is Missing won the 2002 Forward Poetry Prize. Porter also was the winner of the 2002 Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry. In 2004, Afterburner, was short-listed for the T.S. Eliot Prize.
Porter’s achievements as a poet are many. Over a lifetime devoted to writing, he has produced an impressive body of work. Often compared to the Auden, Porter has demonstrated poetic virtuosity in both technique and subject. He continues as one of the most important poets writing in English at the beginning of the twenty-first century.