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TONY BIRCH |
BLACK OPHELIA
deny the cross
the holy word
deny the gun
the wire and hoe
caste and colour
theft of ground of bodies
go and be and be
with the drifting river
with the spirit water
go
to the water
the water
the water
go
Black Ophelia
shimmering within
a sheet of glass
whispered lips to beating heart
she sounds — always was
always will be…
? 2021
Australian novelist, poet, academic and political activist Tony Birch was born in 1957 and grew up in what was then considered to be the slum area of Fitzroy in the city of Melbourne. Of mixed indigenous, Barbadian convict, Irish and Afghan heritage, Birch worked as a telegram messenger after being expelled from school and then as a firefighter. He left the latter profession in 1987 to enroll as a mature age student at the University of Melbourne and went on to win the Chancellor's Medal for the best PhD dissertation in the Arts in 2003.
In 2006 Birch published his debut novel Shadowboxing. This was followed three years later by Father's Day, the first of four widely praised story collections. His literary reputation was cemented with the publication of his second novel Blood in 2011 which saw him shortlisted for the 2012 Miles Franklin Award.
In 2017, two years after receiving the inaugural Dr Bruce McGuinness Indigenous Research Fellowship at Victoria University, Birch received the Patrick White Literary Award for his contributions to Australian literature. His bestselling novel The White Girl appeared in 2019 and was followed in 2021 by his fifth story collection Dark As Last Night and Whisper Songs, his debut volume of poetry. In December 2022 Birch was named the third Boisbouvier Chair in Australian Literature at the University of Melbourne.
Use the link below to read a 2019 interview with Australian novelist, poet, academic and political activist TONY BIRCH:
You can also use this link to read more poems by TONY BIRCH:
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