Geoffrey Lehmann (born 28 June 1940) is an Australian
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...
, children's writer, and tax lawyer. Lehmann grew up in McMahon's Point,
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
, and attended the
Shore School
, motto_translation =
, established =
, type = Independent school, Independent Single-sex education, single-sex and Mixed-sex education, co-educational Pre-school education, early learning, Primary sc ...
in North Sydney. He graduated in arts and law from the
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...
in 1960 and 1963 respectively. In 1961, he demonstrated in a student newspaper article that fellow student Robert Hughes had published plagiarised poetry by
Terence Tiller
Terence Rogers Tiller (19 September 1916 – 24 December 1987) was an English poet and radio producer.
Early life, poet
Tiller was born in Truro, Cornwall and educated at Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith.Obituary, ''The Times'', 5 January 198 ...
and others, and a drawing by
Leonard Baskin
Leonard Baskin (August 15, 1922 – June 3, 2000) was an American sculptor, draughtsman and graphic artist, as well as founder of the Gehenna Press (1942–2000). One of America's first fine arts presses, it went on to become "one of the most imp ...
.
Lehmann was the first Australian poet to be published by the
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
publishing house
Faber and Faber
Faber and Faber Limited, usually abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, Margaret Storey, William Golding, Samuel B ...
. He received the 2015
Prime Minister's Literary Award
The Australian Prime Minister's Literary Awards (PMLA) were announced at the end of 2007 by the incoming First Rudd ministry following the 2007 election. They are administered by the Minister for the Arts.UWA News - Geoffrey Lehmann wins Prime Minister’s Award for Poetry /ref>
Lehmann has worked as a solicitor in his own small law firm, as an academic lawyer at the
University of New South Wales
The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensive ...
, and as a corporate tax lawyer, having retired from
PricewaterhouseCoopers
PricewaterhouseCoopers is an international professional services brand of firms, operating as partnerships under the PwC brand. It is the second-largest professional services network in the world and is considered one of the Big Four accounting ...
. He continues to write as a literary reviewer for ''
The Australian
''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...
'' newspaper.
Bibliography
Poetry
*
*
*''Comic Australian Verse'' (1972) Editor
*''Conversation with a Rider'' (1972)
*''Selected Poems'' (1976)
*''Ross' Poems'' (1978)
*''Nero's Poems: Translations of the public and private poems of the Emperor Nero'' (1981)
*''Children's Games'' (1990)
*''Spring Forest'' (1992)
*''Collected Poems'' (1997)
*''Baking at Night and Other Poems'' (2003)
*''Poems 1957-2013'' (2014)
Novels
*''A Spring Day in Autumn'' (1974)
Children's fiction
*''The Balloon Farmer'' (1994) with Betty Greenhatch
*''Sky Boy'' (2001) with Caroline Magerl
Non-fiction
*''Australian Primitive Painters'' (1974) editor, art
*
*
Edited
*''
Hermes
Hermes (; grc-gre, Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology. Hermes is considered the herald of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travellers, thieves, merchants, and orato ...
'' (1962)
*''Comic Australian Verse'' (1972)
*''The Younger Australian Poets'' (1983) editor with Robert Gray
*''The Flight of the Emu'' (1990)
*''Australian Poetry in the Twentieth Century'' (1991) editor with Robert Gray
*''Australian Poetry Since 1788'' (2011) editor with Robert Gray