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The Best 100 Poems of Dorothy Porter
Dorothy Porter was one of Australia's true originals, renowned for her passionate, punchy poetry and verse novels. This collection, the best of her life's work as selected by her partner Andrea Goldsmith, presents the many facets of Porter, from her break-out verse novel The Monkey's Mask to her posthumous collection, The Bee Hut. Whether stretching the fabric of ancient mythology, discovering the beauty of the natural world or inking an intimate message on the heart, Porter's verse is endlessly captivating. This is an essential volume for longtime admirers and newcomers alike.
'[Porter's] poems are short, powerful, beautiful and sometimes brutal. Each poem is a portrait, a sensation, a short story, a joke, or a reflection in itself.' -Times
'It's hard not to be uplifted by this writing and this woman' -Courier-Mail
Dorothy Porter is an acclaimed poet, lyricist and librettist. Her work has been adapted for radio, stage and screen. In December 2008, Dorothy Porter died aged 54. She had just completed The Bee Hut.
'[Porter's] poems are short, powerful, beautiful and sometimes brutal. Each poem is a portrait, a sensation, a short story, a joke, or a reflection in itself.' -Times
'It's hard not to be uplifted by this writing and this woman' -Courier-Mail
Dorothy Porter is an acclaimed poet, lyricist and librettist. Her work has been adapted for radio, stage and screen. In December 2008, Dorothy Porter died aged 54. She had just completed The Bee Hut.
- GenresPoetry
176 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 23, 2013
About the author
Dorothy Porter
41 books51 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Eminent Australian poet. A rare proponent of the verse novel. Winner of The Age Book of the Year for poetry, and the National Book Council Award, for her verse novel The Monkey's Mask. She was awarded the Christopher Brennan Award for lifetime achievement in poetry in 2001. Died of breast cancer, 2008.
Eminent Australian poet. A rare proponent of the verse novel. Winner of The Age Book of the Year for poetry, and the National Book Council Award, for her verse novel The Monkey's Mask. She was awarded the Christopher Brennan Award for lifetime achievement in poetry in 2001. Died of breast cancer, 2008.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 25, 2013
Up and down really, felt like a bit of a mash-up (hence the best-of), but mostly I'm a sucker for the lezzie & romo ones
February 12, 2022
3.5 stars.
16 of these 100 made me to fold the page down to revisit later.
Hit and miss for me, but when they hit, it was hard.
16 of these 100 made me to fold the page down to revisit later.
Hit and miss for me, but when they hit, it was hard.
October 15, 2025
The Best 100 Poems of Dorothy Porter is a vibrant and deeply human collection that captures the essence of one of Australia’s most distinctive poetic voices. Selected by her partner Andrea Goldsmith, this volume distills Porter’s remarkable ability to blend intellect and intensity poetry that is at once visceral, tender, and unafraid of darkness.
From the raw sensuality of The Monkey’s Mask to the meditative reflections of The Bee Hut, Porter’s work reveals a life lived through language fierce, searching, and unsentimental. Her poems inhabit the full range of human experience: desire, loss, mortality, and the electric beauty of the natural world. Every piece feels alive with rhythm and emotion, demonstrating her mastery of compression and her gift for transforming private truth into universal resonance.
This collection is more than a retrospective it’s a celebration of a voice that continues to shape Australian poetry, reminding readers that the most powerful art doesn’t just describe life; it burns through it.
From the raw sensuality of The Monkey’s Mask to the meditative reflections of The Bee Hut, Porter’s work reveals a life lived through language fierce, searching, and unsentimental. Her poems inhabit the full range of human experience: desire, loss, mortality, and the electric beauty of the natural world. Every piece feels alive with rhythm and emotion, demonstrating her mastery of compression and her gift for transforming private truth into universal resonance.
This collection is more than a retrospective it’s a celebration of a voice that continues to shape Australian poetry, reminding readers that the most powerful art doesn’t just describe life; it burns through it.
August 11, 2019
3.5 stars
February 23, 2020
4.5
Absolutely brilliant.
Absolutely brilliant.
April 12, 2014
well it sure was... different
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews