Angry Penguins
Malley Ern, et al
Published by Reed & Harris, 1944
Used
Soft cover
From
The Little Shop of Books, Cootamundra, NSW, Australia
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
AbeBooks Seller since July 7, 2020
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About this Item
Description:
In 1943, conservative poets James McAuley and Harold Stewart concocted a fictional poet named Ern Malley. They wrote 16 surreal, disjointed poems in a single afternoon, intending to parody and undermine modernist poetry. These were sent to Angry Penguins editor Max Harris, under the guise of Ern?s sister, Ethel Malley, claiming to have discovered the poems after her brother?s death. Harris, a passionate advocate of modernism, was enthralled. He published the poems in a special edition of Angry Penguins, complete with a cover featuring a Sidney Nolan painting inspired by Malley's verse. The hoax was quickly exposed, and Harris was tried and convicted for obscenity, not for being duped, but for publishing the poems, which authorities deemed indecent. Angry Penguins folded in 1946, its credibility shaken. Ironically, the Ern Malley poems?intended as nonsense?were later celebrated as genuine surrealist art, admired by critics like John Ashbery and Kenneth Koch. Minor discoloration to cover, limited edition 59/1000, inscribed, Barrie and Judith Dexter Ottawa, 1/10/1980, provenance Dexter estate. Seller Inventory # 41317
Bibliographic Details
Title: Angry Penguins
Publisher: Reed & Harris
Publication Date: 1944
Binding: Soft cover
Condition: Very Good