Philip Salom
Encyclopedia
Philip Salom is a contemporary Australian poet
and novelist.
in the South West region of Western Australia
. Salom had an isolated childhood before boarding at Bunbury
during his high school years. He went on to study agriculture at Muresk Agricultural College and then worked for two years as a research assistant on the Northam Research Station. While studying Agricultural Science at University of Western Australia
he developed his passion for the arts, painting and singing in the university choir. Uninterested in his course he left university, took various casual jobs, and started writing on a 1972 painting trip to New Zealand
. On returning to Perth
he enrolled in Curtin University's Literature and Creative Writing course, one of the first of its kind in Australia.
On graduating he took a job with the public service in his old area of agriculture. His first poetry collection was published by Fremantle Arts Centre Press
in 1980. Since then there have been many poetry collections and two novels. Salom has won both national and international acclaim for his poetry. For most of these years he taught Creative Writing at Curtin and Murdoch University
in Western Australia. Late in 1997 he moved with his family to Melbourne
. In the next years he lectured at Deakin University
and finally at the University of Melbourne
. In 2008 he resigned from lecturing and has been writing full time.
His writing is distinctive for its metaphoric richness and expansive vision. It is also hugely various from title to title; his creative restlessness extends not only to style but also to conceptual paradigms. Since his first collection, many of his books have depicted imagined worlds or explored conceptually contained sequences - books such as The Projectionist, Sky Poems, The Rome Air Naked, The Well Mouth and Keepers. Keepers is part of a trilogy which will be extended through two more books The Keeper of Fish, and Keeping Carter, books ostensibly written by Alan Fish and MA Carter, respectively. These are heteronyms for Salom's new work.
Philip Salom has performed as a guest poet and lecturer in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Italy, Yugoslavia, Singapore and New Zealand.
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and novelist.
Biography
Growing up on a farm in Brunswick JunctionBrunswick Junction, Western Australia
Brunswick Junction is a town located in the South West of Western Australia along the South Western Highway, between Harvey and Bunbury.-History:...
in the South West region of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. Salom had an isolated childhood before boarding at Bunbury
Bunbury, Western Australia
The port city of Bunbury is the third largest city in Western Australia after the State Capital Perth and Mandurah. It is situated south of Perth's central business district...
during his high school years. He went on to study agriculture at Muresk Agricultural College and then worked for two years as a research assistant on the Northam Research Station. While studying Agricultural Science at University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
he developed his passion for the arts, painting and singing in the university choir. Uninterested in his course he left university, took various casual jobs, and started writing on a 1972 painting trip to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. On returning to Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
he enrolled in Curtin University's Literature and Creative Writing course, one of the first of its kind in Australia.
On graduating he took a job with the public service in his old area of agriculture. His first poetry collection was published by Fremantle Arts Centre Press
Fremantle Arts Centre Press
Fremantle Press is an independent publisher in Western Australia. Fremantle Press was established by the Fremantle Arts Centre in 1976...
in 1980. Since then there have been many poetry collections and two novels. Salom has won both national and international acclaim for his poetry. For most of these years he taught Creative Writing at Curtin and Murdoch University
Murdoch University
Murdoch University is a public university based in Perth, Australia. It began operations as the state's second university in 1973, and accepted its first students in 1975...
in Western Australia. Late in 1997 he moved with his family to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. In the next years he lectured at Deakin University
Deakin University
Deakin University is an Australian public university with nearly 40,000 higher education students in 2010. It receives more than A$600 million in operating revenue annually, and controls more than A$1.3 billion in assets. It received more than A$35 million in research income in 2009 and had 835...
and finally at the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
. In 2008 he resigned from lecturing and has been writing full time.
His writing is distinctive for its metaphoric richness and expansive vision. It is also hugely various from title to title; his creative restlessness extends not only to style but also to conceptual paradigms. Since his first collection, many of his books have depicted imagined worlds or explored conceptually contained sequences - books such as The Projectionist, Sky Poems, The Rome Air Naked, The Well Mouth and Keepers. Keepers is part of a trilogy which will be extended through two more books The Keeper of Fish, and Keeping Carter, books ostensibly written by Alan Fish and MA Carter, respectively. These are heteronyms for Salom's new work.
Philip Salom has performed as a guest poet and lecturer in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Italy, Yugoslavia, Singapore and New Zealand.
Poetry
- The Silent Piano. (Fremantle Arts Centre, 1980) ISBN 978-0-909144-31-9
- The Projectionist, A Sequence. (Fremantle Arts Centre, 1983) ISBN 978-0-909144-69-2
- Sky Poems. (Fremantle Arts Centre Press, 1987) ISBN 978-0-949206-19-9
- Barbecue of the Primitives. (University of Queensland, 1989) ISBN 978-0-7022-2221-4
- Tremors. (Pamphlet Poets, National Library of Australia, 1992) ISBN 978-0-642105-32-4
- Feeding the Ghost. (Penguin, 1993) ISBN 978-0-14-058692-3
- The Rome Air Naked. (Penguin, 1996) ISBN 978-0-14-058773-9
- New and Selected Poems. (Fremantle Arts Centre, 1998) ISBN 978-1-86368-218-3
- A Cretive Life. (sic.) (Fremantle Arts Centre, 2001) ISBN 978-1-86368-300-5
- The Well Mouth. (Fremantle Arts Centre, 2005) ISBN 978-1-921064-24-1 review
- The Family Fig Trees. (Picaro Press, 2007) ISSN 1444-8424
- Keepers. (Puncher & Wattmann, 2010) ISBN 978-1-921450-396-6
Novels
- Playback. (Fremantle Arts Centre, 1991; 2003) ISBN 978-1-86368-398-2
- Toccata & Rain: A novel. (Fremantle Arts Centre, 2004) ISBN 978-1-920731-49-6
Awards and honours
- 1981: Commonwealth Poetry Prize for a First Book (The Silent Piano)
- 1984: Western Australian Literary Award for Poetry (The Projectionist)
- 1984: South Australian Biennial Literary Award for Poetry - official Second Prize (The Projectionist)
- 1985: Writers Fellowship, Australia Council
- 1987: Commonwealth Poetry Prize for Overall Best Book (Sky Poems)
- 1987: The Age Book of the Year - only poetry book shortlisted (Sky Poems)
- 1987: Barbara Ramsden Award, Highly Commended (Sky Poems)
- 1988: WA Literary Award for Poetry (Sky Poems)
- 1989: Writers Fellowship, Australia Council
- 1990: shortlisted National Book Council Banjo Award and Western Australian Literary Award (Barbecue of the Primitives)
- 1992: WA Premiers Prize for Fiction (Playback)
- 1992: Australia-New Zealand Literary Award, NZ Arts Council
- 1992: Inaugural BR Whiting Residency in Rome, Australia Council
- 1993: shortlisted Victorian Premiers Prize, National Book council Banjo Award, WA Premiers Prize (Feeding the Ghost)
- 1996: shortlisted WA Premiers Prize (The Rome Air Naked)
- 1996: Newcastle Poetry Prize
- 1999: shortlisted Victorian Premiers Prize, WA Premiers Prize (New and Selected Poems)
- 2000: Newcastle Poetry Prize
- 2003: Christopher Brennan Award for Lifetime Achievement in Poetry
- 2004: shortlisted ALS Gold Medal for Literature, WA Premiers Prize (Toccata and Rain)
- 2005: A Best Book of the Year, Sydney Morning Herald, Adelaide Review (The Well Mouth)
- 2006: SA Premiers Prize for Poetry, shortlisted (The Well Mouth)
- 2006/7: Writers Fellowship
External links
- The Railway Station and the Sistine Ceiling at Divan
- One Body or Many? Interview & review