Australian Poetry 1970-1980: Some Statistical Observations

Abstract

The summarising and assessment of the period 1970-1980 has already begun. A number of recent commentators have, to my mind, based their observations and judgments on a less than scrupulous study of the facts. In order to clarify in my own mind the actual patterns of this period I have analysed the holdings of Australian poetry in my own library. To ensure greater accuracy I also examined files in the Fryer Library, University of Queensland, and made a careful scrutiny of book reviews in the poetry journals. For this period I made a careful attempt to keep my own collection comprehensive, but it is possible that some of the smaller and more ephemeral booklets have escaped my notice. I feel confident, though, that the substantial overview of the 11 year period can be clearly discerned from the analysis.