The best book of Collected Poems I have ever read by an Australian writer is easily by John Forbes.
John Forbes 1950-1998
This site provides links to his on-line poems, a list of publications and resources. There is also a ‘In Memorium’ section in which writers pay tribute to the great poet.
‘Form, Intuition and (a) song’ (Otis Rush):
Cath Kenneally interviewed John Forbes in September 1991 for her arts breakfast program on radio 5UV. Forbes talks about why he decided to become a poet, his writing process and about several of his poems. This is a frank and informative discussion. http://www.eaf.asn.au/otis/jfwck.html
Jacket 3 April 1998
This issue is dedicated to John Forbes.
Update 3 September 2011: The Australian Poetry Library has
recently included 30 of Forbes’ poems on their mammoth site. Discover his work
here: http://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/forbes-john
