John West was an Australian poet and the
author
An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states:
"''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...
of numerous books of
poetry
Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...
published in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
between 1994 and his death in 2009. He died just before his ''Selected Poems'' was finalised for publication. Several hundred of his individual poems were published in his lifetime, mostly in Australia but also in the
UK. He was raised in the
Mallee town of
Merbein, Victoria
Merbein is a town just north of Mildura, Victoria, in the Sunraysia region of Australia. It is on the Calder Highway between Mildura and the Murray River crossing at the Abbotsford Bridge to Curlwaa. At the , the town had a population of 1,981. ...
, and worked as an
aged care
Elderly care, or simply eldercare (also known in parts of the English-speaking world as aged care), serves the needs and requirements of senior citizens. It encompasses assisted living, adult daycare, long-term care, nursing homes (often called re ...
nurse in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
. His work is known for its conversational approach and compassionate
social realism
Social realism is the term used for work produced by painters, printmakers, photographers, writers and filmmakers that aims to draw attention to the real socio-political conditions of the working class as a means to critique the power structure ...
.
His books include ''Stuttering Towards Love'' (Walleah Press 2000); ''All I Ever Wanted was a Window'' (Pardalote Press 2002); ''Couchworld'' (Picaro Press 2006); and ''Walking Amongst Women'' (Picaro Press 2006).
References
External links
Website
Australian poets
2009 deaths
Year of birth missing
{{Australia-poet-stub