Irish poet Mark Granier wins Vincent Buckley Poetry Prize

Media Release, Wednesday 21 January 2004

The Australian Centre at the University of Melbourne has announced that Irish poet Mark Granier has been awarded the Vincent Buckley Poetry Prize for 2004.

The award will enable the Dublin-based poet to visit Melbourne to take up a residency at the Australian Centre.

The Vincent Buckley Poetry Prize is a biennial award that is offered alternately to enable an Australian poet to visit Ireland and to facilitate the visit of an Irish poet to Melbourne.

The Prize was established in 1992 and seeks to reflect Vincent Buckley’s love of and commitment to both Australian and Irish poetry. The selection panel for the prize in 2004 included the Melbourne poet Chris Wallace-Crabbe as Chair, poet and former recipient of the prize Cate Kennedy, Vincent Buckley’s widow Penelope Buckley and the English Department at the University of Melbourne’s Dr Kevin Brophy.

Professor Vincent Buckley was deeply passionate about Australian culture, and in particular, its roots in and affinities with Ireland. From 1967 he held a personal chair in poetry at the University of Melbourne, where he was Professor of English, and he received many prizes for his poetry.

More than a distinguished poet, however, Vincent Buckley was also well know as an essayist, reviewer and editor. He co-founded the magazine Prospect, later became poetry editor of The Bulletin magazine and edited The Faber Book of Modern Australian Verse. Buckley’s interest in Irish culture led him to visit Ireland often and in 1969 he founded the Committee for Civil Rights there.

Previous winners of the Vincent Buckley Poetry Prize include Cate Kennedy, Aileen Kelly and Lisa Gorton from Australia and from Ireland, John Montague and Enda Wyley.

More about the Australian Centre at the University of Melbourne:
http://www.australian.unimelb.edu.au

Contact:
Contact:
Anna MacDonald
The Australian Centre, The University of Melbourne
Phone (03) 8344 3217
Email annahm@unimelb.edu.au