The Killer (poem)
| "The Killer" | |
|---|---|
| by Judith Wright | |
| Written | 1947 |
| First published in | Southerly, December 1947 |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Lines | 28 |
"The Killer" (1947) is a poem by Australian poet Judith Wright.[1]
It was originally published in the literary jounal Southerly in December 1947,[1] and was subsequently reprinted in the author's single-author collections and a number of Australian poetry anthologies.[1]
Synopsis
The poet wanders down by a creek to take her rest and to get a drink of water. She is surprised by a black snake and lashes out to defend herself.
Critical reception
Andrew Taylor, in his book Reading Australian Poetry, commented that "the poem is an articulation of guilt – not so much simply guilt at having killed something presumed innocent, but guilt at having failed to recognise the 'nmble enemy' as being within herself, and this having killed." [2]
In a review of the poet's collection A Human Pattern : Selected Poems in Poetry Beverley Bie Brahic noted that parts of this poem might owe something to Emily Dickinson, though she went on to add: "if the corseted stanzas, with their inversions and apostrophes ('O move in me ...'), have a whiff of the hand-me-down, Wright's subjects are brand new. As Heaney reveals rural Northern Ireland to us, so Wright trains her refreshingly flinty eye on the settlers of rural Australia."[3]
Publication history
After the poem's initial publication in Southerly it was reprinted as follows:
- Woman to Man by Judith Wright, Angus and Robertson, 1949[4]
- An Anthology of Australian Verse edited by George Mackaness, Angus & Robertson, 1952[5]
- Australian Poets Speak edited by Colin Thiele and Ian Mudie, Rigby, 1961[6]
- Five Senses: Selected Poems by Judith Wright, Angus and Robertson, 1963[7]
- Judith Wright : Selected Poems by Judith Wright, Angus and Robertson, 1963[8]
- The Land's Meaning edited by L. M. Hannan and B. A. Breen, Macmillan, 1973[9]
- Judith Wright : Collected Poems, 1942-1970 by Judith Wright, Angus and Robertson, 1971[10]
- A Human Pattern : Selected Poems by Judith Wright, Angus and Robertson, 1990[11]
- The Penguin Book of Modern Australian Poetry edited by John Tranter and Philip Mead, Penguin, 1991[12]
- Collected Poems 1942-1985 by Judith Wright, Angus and Robertson, 1994[13]
- Poetry Unlocked: An Anthology Arranged in Themes edited by Elaine Hamilton and Robin Farr, FarrBooks, 2006[14]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Austlit — "The Killer" by Judith Wright". Austlit. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ Reading Australian Poetry by Andrew Taylor, University of NSW Press, 1987, p88
- ^ "A Human Pattern : Selected Poems reviewed by Beverley Bie Brahic". Poetry, February 2011. ProQuest 855743940. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "Woman to Man by Judith Wright". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "An Anthology of Australian Verse edited by George Mackaness". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "Australian Poets Speak edited by Colin Thiele and Ian Mudie". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "Five Senses: Selected Poems by Judith Wright". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "Judith Wright : Selected Poems by Judith Wright". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "The Land's Meaning edited by L. M. Hannan and B. A. Breen". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "Judith Wright : Collected Poems, 1942-1970 (A&R)". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "A Human Pattern : Selected Poems by Judith Wright". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "The Penguin Book of Modern Australian Poetry edited by John Tranter and Philip Mead". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "Collected Poems 1942-1985 by Judith Wright". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ "Poetry Unlocked: An Anthology Arranged in Themes edited by Elaine Hamilton and Robin Farr". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 2 December 2025.