The Universe Looks Down

Description

The verse novel The Universe Looks Down was written over a period of thirteen years. It is a quest narrative, but a tale in which there can be no one hero. Instead, a handful of protagonists are seen, engaged in interlocking life-quests, inside and outside historical time.In mythical, heroic and even comical action they press towards a goal which must be different for each individual. Their stories touch on chivalry, Australian history, Indian legend, experimental science, sea journeys, coffee, semi-divine intervention, and much more..."Witty, racy and deliciously digressive, this fascinating long poem sails along the coast of ethics and will find safe harbor in our hands, our mouths, and our memories." (Kevin Hart)

Chris Wallace-Crabbe, born 1934, is an internationally renowned poet and essayist of seventeen books. His latest collections are By and Large, (Brandl & Schlesinger; Carcanet) and the small-press Next. He edited, with Judith Ryan, Imagining Australia: Literature and Culture in the New New World (Harvard). His Selected Poems 1956-1994 (OUP) won the DJ O'Hearn Prize for Poetry and he had also been awarded The Age Book of the Year Award, the Dublin Prize for Arts and Science and The Philip Hodgins Memorial Award for Poetry. He is Professor Emeritus in The Australian Centre, University of Melbourne.