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Absolutely Revolting

April 1980, no. 19

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Contents Category: Publishing
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Article Title: Bookshapes – April 1980
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I hope to write about the ABPA’s 1979–80 design awards in this issue, but my deadline has arrived and news of the winners has not. From the eligible titles that I have seen, my own choice as Book of the Year is Emily Hope’s The Queen of the Nágas, published in an edition of 500 copies by Nomad Press, of Melbourne, and distributed by William Collins.
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I hope to write about the ABPA’s 1979–80 design awards in this issue, but my deadline has arrived and news of the winners has not. From the eligible titles that I have seen, my own choice as Book of the Year is Emily Hope’s The Queen of the Nágas, published in an edition of 500 copies by Nomad Press, of Melbourne, and distributed by William Collins.

This story of ancient Asia, illustrated with twenty large paintings by the author, was made into a book by that queen of designers, Alison Forbes. It was set in Palatino by Meredith Trade Lino and printed by C.S. Graphic Reproductions, of Melbourne. I cannot tell in how many colours the illustrations are printed, but they are as rich and strange as anything I have seen, with their washes of crimson, gold, purple, and blue – and even white, dammit, laid down on the cream paper. Some may feel that it is a triumph of production more than of design; but the book has a perfect simplicity and elegance. Alison Forbes’s choice of type and her leading and placement of it are such that every page looks like a message from the gods.

I admire all the details of The Queen of the Nágas: the generous landscape format, the cream Andorra text pages, and the gold Glastonbury endpapers, the subdued brown of the printed paper case beautifully chosen to highlight the glowing illustration on the front board. Three picas.

Marjorie Tipping’s Ludwig Becker (Melbourne University Press in association with the State Library of Victoria) is a magnificent monument to the artist and naturalist who went with Burke and Wills in 1860. Len Trenkner designed it, Dova Type Shop did the setting, Wilke and Co. were the printers, and Carlton & United Breweries provided financial assistance, which must have been substantial.

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Phillip Martin reviews The Man in the Honeysuckle by David Campbell
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Contents Category: Poetry
Custom Article Title: Phillip Martin reviews 'The Man in the Honeysuckle' by David Campbell
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Article Title: A brave farewell
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This book came out last November four months after David Campbell died, and represents (say the publishers) ‘the very last of his poems’.

Although of late I’ve read just about everything he published, there’s no space here to sum up his work. Besides, Geoff Page (ABR October 1979) has already taken a keenly perceptive look at the past ten years development and has also foreshadowed my comments on this last collection. Quite rightly he points to those poets (Lowell, Hughes, Zbigniew Herbert, Vasko Popa), in whom Campbell found reminders of ‘some­thing he had long had to do’. Their poems, then, were like good parents, teaching their children not to imitate them but to assume their own identities. In The Man in the Honeysuckle, I especially note the influence of Popa: like him, Campbell in many poems cleans away all punctuation and yet the syntax sings clearly, so that we get a new version of the limpid poem we have always expected from Campbell.
Book 1 Title: The Man in the Honeysuckle
Book Author: David Campbell
Book 1 Biblio: Angus & Robertson, 80 pp, $5. 95
Book 1 Author Type: Author
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This book came out last November four months after David Campbell died, and represents (say the publishers) ‘the very last of his poems’.

Although of late I’ve read just about everything he published, there’s no space here to sum up his work. Besides, Geoff Page (ABR October 1979) has already taken a keenly perceptive look at the past ten years development and has also foreshadowed my comments on this last collection. Quite rightly he points to those poets (Lowell, Hughes, Zbigniew Herbert, Vasko Popa), in whom Campbell found reminders of ‘some­thing he had long had to do’. Their poems, then, were like good parents, teaching their children not to imitate them but to assume their own identities. In The Man in the Honeysuckle, I especially note the influence of Popa: like him, Campbell in many poems cleans away all punctuation and yet the syntax sings clearly, so that we get a new version of the limpid poem we have always expected from Campbell. For instance, in ‘Trumpet’:

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Dan ONeill reviews Australian Conservatism by Cameron Hazelhurst, The Deep North by Deane Wells, and Illusions of Power by Michael Sexton
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Contents Category: Politics
Custom Article Title: Dan O'Neill reviews 'Australian Conservatism' by Cameron Hazelhurst, 'The Deep North' by Deane Wells, and 'Illusions of Power' by Michael Sexton
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Article Title: Politics, Power, Peterson
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It is impossible to think clearly about modern ideologies without perceiving their rootedness in class-related concepts of a better society. Nor can we understand this without seeing that class is a radical rearrangement in fact and in political discourse of the realities previously referred to as ‘orders’ and ‘ranks’. This vast shift into simpler and fewer forms of relation to the means of production is one way of understanding the enormous change in power and dynamism of western capitalist societies that we abbreviate for discussion into the familiar terms of the French and Industrial Revolutions.
Book 1 Title: Australian Conservatism
Book 1 Subtitle: Essays in twentieth century political history
Book Author: Cameron Hazelhurst
Book 1 Biblio: Australian National University Press, 337 pp, $12.50 pb
Book 1 Author Type: Editor
Book 2 Title: The Deep North
Book 2 Author: Deane Wells
Book 2 Biblio: Outback, 137 p., illus., $9. 95
Book 2 Author Type: Author
Book 2 Cover (800 x 1200):
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It is impossible to think clearly about modern ideologies without perceiving their rootedness in class-related concepts of a better society. Nor can we understand this without seeing that class is a radical rearrangement in fact and in political discourse of the realities previously referred to as ‘orders’ and ‘ranks’. This vast shift into simpler and fewer forms of relation to the means of production is one way of understanding the enormous change in power and dynamism of western capitalist societies that we abbreviate for discussion into the familiar terms of the French and Industrial Revolutions.

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T. Counihan reviews The Black Swan of Trespass by Humphrey McQueen
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Article Title: Through a glass redly
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Humphrey McQueen’s new book claims to give an adequate account of the emergence if not the development of modernist paining in Australia up to 1944. In particular he claims to do two things the previous writers in this area have not done or have done inadequately.
Book 1 Title: The Black Swan of Trespass
Book 1 Subtitle: The emergence of modernist paining in Australia to 1944
Book Author: Humphrey McQueen
Book 1 Biblio: Alternative Publishing Cooperative, 178 pp., biblio., $14. 95
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Humphrey McQueen’s new book claims to give an adequate account of the emergence if not the development of modernist paining in Australia up to 1944. In particular he claims to do two things the previous writers in this area have not done or have done inadequately.

Firstly, he asserts that previous writers (they remain conveniently anonymous) have been eager to chronicle only the local versions of overseas trends and as a consequence, have ignored the significance of national conditions and an indigenous culture: They have confused migration with derivation and unfairly played down authentic Australian elements in their preoccupation with tabulating the impact of largely European innovations. What their uniquely Australian features are is left unexplained. McQueen ‘s own position is to reverse this, but in turn he merely mirrors the cultural change he rejects. Indeed, his own test embodies analogous errors because of the undisputed priority given to the question: which is preferable, overseas or indigenous culture? (Answer: silly question). McQueen has not yet learned the value of disregarding badly posed problems.

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John McLaren reviews Toil and Spin by Chris Wallace-Crabbe
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Contents Category: Literary Studies
Custom Article Title: John McLaren reviews 'Toil and Spin' by Chris Wallace-Crabbe
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Article Title: Make it new
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In a world which has lost its faith and its standards, the situation of the creative artist is both central and precarious. As Wallace­-Crabbe sees it, he must stand inside and outside society at once, be both totally involved with himself and totally responsive to his society. While doing this, he must create not only his own audience but even his own language.

In this series of essays, Wallace-Crabbe explores this dilemma in the work of contemporary English-language poets ranging from Thomas Hardy to Elizabeth Bishop, and from W. H. Auden – ‘the good Christian practices light verse’ – to Robert Lowell and Ezra Pound. The essays both illuminate the work of the writers he discusses and contribute to our understanding of the crucial problem of contemporary culture.
Book 1 Title: Toil and Spin
Book 1 Subtitle: Two directions in modern poetry
Book Author: Chris Wallace-Crabbe
Book 1 Biblio: Hutchinson of Australia, 151 pp, $9.95 pb
Book 1 Author Type: Author
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In a world which has lost its faith and its standards, the situation of the creative artist is both central and precarious. As Wallace­Crabbe sees it, he must stand inside and outside society at once, be both totally involved with himself and totally responsive to his society. While doing this, he must create not only his own audience but even his own language.

In this series of essays, Wallace-Crabbe explores this dilemma in the work of contemporary English-language poets ranging from Thomas Hardy to Elizabeth Bishop, and from W. H. Auden – ‘the good Christian practices light verse’ – to Robert Lowell and Ezra Pound. The essays both illuminate the work of the writers he discusses and contribute to our understanding of the crucial problem of contemporary culture.

Read more: John McLaren reviews 'Toil and Spin' by Chris Wallace-Crabbe

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