Spirit in Exile

This is the first biography and major critical appraisal of Peter Porter, one of Australia's most distinguished and influential writers. Resident in London since the early 1950s, Porter is one of the leading Oxford Poets, his Collected Works awarded the Duff Cooper Memorial Prize in 1983, and The Automatic Oracle winning the Whitbread Prize for Poetry in 1988. In addition, he has written libretti and radio scripts, and been atireless literary, opera, and cinema critic. Examining the influence of Porter's nationality and English 'exile' on his life, work, and literary methods, Bruce Bennett has produced a frank and revealing study that also considers his relationships with other notable literary figures of histime.