Collected Poems Francis Webb edited and introduced by Toby Davidson

Webb, Francis; Davidson, Toby (ed)

ISBN 10: 1742582680 / ISBN 13: 9781742582689

Published by UWA Publishing, Perth, 2011

About this Item

Definitive collected poems of Francis Webb, edited and introduced by Toby Davidson; Early Poems, A Drum for Ben Boyd, Leichhardt in Theatre, Poems 1950-52, Birthday, Socrates and other Poems, The Ghost of the Cock, Late Poems, Unfinished Works; some foxing to endpapers and prelims, some foxing along top edges of some pages, text block a little toned, o.w. Very Good. . 400pp. 8vo. Very Good.

Seller Inventory # 23552

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Collected Poems Francis Webb edited and introduced by Toby Davidson
• Publisher: UWA Publishing, Perth
• Publication Date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1742582680
• ISBN 13: 9781742582689
• Binding: paperback
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Very Good
• Weight: 1 kilogram
• Seller catalogs:
  • Australian Poetry

About this title

Synopsis

"For many of us, readers and poets alike, Frank Webb's verse has been the gold standard by which complex poetic language has been judged...a master of last lines, of last stanzas and final phrases." - Les Murray *** Francis Webb (1925-1973) grew up in North Sydney with his paternal grandparents, who encouraged his love of music, books, and the sea. In 1942, during his final year of secondary school, his writing first appeared in the Bulletin, which led to friendships with Douglas Stewart, Nan McDonald, Rosemary Dobson, and Norman Lindsay, who illustrated his debut collection A Drum for Ben Boyd. In 1943, Webb joined the Air Force, completing his training as a Wireless Air Gunner in Canada in late 1944. After a sea voyage from Canada to England in 1949, he suffered the first of a series of breakdowns which increasingly restricted his life, but not his prodigious poetic gifts. Despite being regarded as one of Australia's greatest poets, Francis Webb has been out of print for 20 years. Webb's final changes to several poems in 1969 were ignored by then editor Douglas Stewart, so this book is the first collected edition that is faithful to the poet's own wishes, which 'rewrites' the Webb legacy and several famous poems. The book is introduced by the Australian poetry researcher Toby Davidson, and it is accompanied by 100 pages of notes utilizing the latest scholarship and commentaries.

Review

Collected Poems is a book of great significance, bringing Francis Webb the poet back to us.

AUSTRALIAN BOOK REVIEW

With the publication of Collected Poems, Davidson and UWA Publishing have ensured that Webb may be discovered by a new readership and that his brilliant poetry will continue to inspire new generations of readers and poets.

BERNADETTE BRENNAN, SYDNEY MORNING HERALD