Peter Daniel Steele AM (22 August 1939 – 27 June 2012) was an Australian poet and academic, a member of the Jesuit order and a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

priest, who was awarded the

Christopher Brennan Award The Christopher Brennan Award (formerly known as the Robert Frost Prize) is an Australian award given for lifetime achievement in poetry. The award, established in 1973, takes the form of a bronze plaque which is presented to a poet who produces w ...

, for lifetime achievement in poetry, in 2010. Steele was educated at

Christian Brothers' College, Perth Christian Brothers College (CBC), informally known as CBC Perth or The Terrace was an Independent school for boys situated on St Georges Terrace in the centre of Perth, Western Australia. The college opened in January 1894, and the college was a ...

;

Loyola College, Melbourne Loyola College is an independent Catholic secondary school for boys and girls, located in Watsonia, a suburb of Melbourne, in Victoria, Australia. The college was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1980 with an initial enrolment of 134 students ...

; the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb no ...

; Canisius College, Sydney and the Jesuit Theological College, Melbourne. He was Lockie Fellow at the University of Melbourne and gained an MA and PhD there and joined it English Department in 1966. He later held a Personal Chair in English there and went on to become Emeritus Professor of English at the university. He remained at the university until his death in 2012. He was much published poet, critic and commentator in books, magazines and journals. He was a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities and a visiting professor at the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a Public university, public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexande ...

, at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

and at Loyola University Chicago. In 2012 he was made a

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Order (distinction), honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of Australia, Queen of Aus ...

, for service to literature and higher education as a poet, author, scholar and teacher, and to the Catholic Church.

Bibliography

Poetry

;Collections * * * ''Invisible Riders'' (1999) * ''Plenty: Art into Poetry'' (2003) * ''The Whispering Gallery: Art Into Poetry'' (2006) * ''White Knight with Beebox: New and Selected Poems'' (2008) * ''A Local Habitation: Poems and Homilies'' (2010) * ''The Gossip and the Wine'' (2011) ;List of poems

Non-fiction

* ''Jonathan Swift: Preacher and Jester'' (1978) * ''The Autobiographical Passion: studies in the self on show'' (1989) * * ''Bread for the Journey: Homilies'' (2002) * ''Braiding the Voices: Essays in Poetry'' (2012)

Obituaries

* ''Australian Book Review'' * ''The Sydney Morning Herald''"Peter Daniel Steele, AM Priest, Poet, Academic" by Gerald O'Collins, ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 3 July 2012
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Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Steele, Peter 1939 births 2012 deaths Australian Jesuits Members of the Order of Australia 20th-century Australian poets Australian male poets 20th-century Australian male writers Meanjin people Quadrant (magazine) people Writers from Perth, Western Australia People educated at Christian Brothers' College, Perth University of Melbourne alumni Academic staff of the University of Melbourne People educated at Loyola College