Martin Johnston (12 November 1947 – 21 June 1990) was 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 ...

and

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

. Martin Johnston was born in

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 ...

on 12 November 1947, son of the writers George Johnston and

Charmian Clift Charmian Clift (30 August 19238 July 1969) was an Australian writer and essayist. She was the second wife and literary collaborator of George Johnston. Biography Clift was born in Kiama, New South Wales in 1923. She married George Johnston ...

. His early childhood was spent in

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 ...

and Sydney. In 1954 the family moved to

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

. They returned to England in 1960 and Australia in 1964. He was educated at North Sydney Boys High School and Sydney University. In the mid-to-late 1970s he lived and travelled with Australian writer,

Nadia Wheatley Nadia Wheatley is an Australian writer whose work includes picture books, novels, biography and history. Perhaps best known for her classic picture book ''My Place'' (illustrated by Donna Rawlins), the author's biography of Charmian Clift was ...

. They lived and wrote in Greece from 1975 to 1977, and travelled through Europe before returning to Australia in 1978. In October 1982 he married Roseanne Bonney, and they lived in

Darlinghurst Darlinghurst is an inner-city, eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Darlinghurst is located immediately east of the Sydney central business district (CBD) and Hyde Park, within the local government area of the City of Sydney. ...

, Sydney. He died on 21 June 1990.

Works

*''shadowmass''. (Sydney University Arts Society, 1971)

oems An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is generally perceived as a company that produces non-aftermarket parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer. It is a common industry term recognized and used by many professional or ...

*''Ithaka: Modern Greek Poetry in Translation''. (Island Press, 1973) ovel*''The Sea-Cucumber''. (University of Queensland Press, 1978)

*''Cicada Gambit''. ( Hale & Iremonger, 1983) ovel *''The Typewriter Considered as a Bee-Trap''. (Hale & Iremonger, 1985)

*''Martin Johnston: Selected Poems and Prose''. (UQP, 1993) *''Beautiful Objects: Selected Poems''. (Ligature, 2020)

Notes

References

Tranter, John (1993) ''Martin Johnston'' (originally published as "introduction" to his book ''Martin Johnston — Selected Poems and Prose'')
Martin Johnston, Jacket 1, October, 1997

"Martin Johnston 1947-1990" by Gig Ryan

External links

MLMSS 10143/Boxes 1X-2X Martin Johnston personal, literary and miscellaneous papers, ca. 1947-1994
State Library of New South Wales, *
Remembering Martin Johnston
by Nadia Wheatley, June 2020 1947 births 1990 deaths 20th-century Australian novelists 20th-century Australian poets Australian male novelists Writers from New South Wales Australian male poets 20th-century Australian male writers People educated at North Sydney Boys High School {{Australia-poet-stub