LibGuides: TASC English Literature: Gwen Harwood

Reference books

Cross Country by John Barnes; Brian McFarlane (Editor)
ISBN: 0858594935
Publication Date: 1984-01-01
Cross-Country is an anthology of Australian verse. It includes a brief biography of Gwen Harwood and a selection of her poems, including 'Father and Child'.

Audio of Gwen Harwood

Gwen Harwood: An episode of Poetica on Radio National dedicated to Gwen Harwood's poetry. Notes include a brief description of her work as a poet. Download the audio to listen to Gwen herself talking about her poetry, then she reads Barn Owl.

Gender roles in Australia

Gender Equality Timeline
This timeline gives a great overview of milestones in gender equality in Australia - look at the 1950s onwards to consider how issues such as relative pay, access to contraception, access to childcare, restrictions on eligibility for employment or other factors would influence Gwen Harwood's personal circumstances.

Literary context

The Penguin anthology of Australian poetry by John Kinsella
Call Number: A821.008 PEN
ISBN: 9780143008736
Publication Date: 2008
Introductory notes on 20th century context for Australian poets on pp.141-144. Some poems by Gwen Harwood and very brief biographical notes (see index)
A Map of Australian Verse by James Phillip McAuley
ISBN: 9780195504729
Publication Date: 1975-01-01
Includes chapters discussing poets of the Fifties and Sixties - a focus on Gwen Harwood in the latter and on p306
Australian poets & their works : a reader's guide by Wilde, W. H
Call Number: A 821.009 WIL
ISBN: 9780195537697
Publication Date: 1996
Brief biographies and comments on the poetry of Australian poets across the last two hundred years. Be sure to check the introduction - gives an overview of hte development of poetry in Australia across the various eras and decades, providing context. p109 details Gwen Harwood's life and work.

Reclaim Her Name: why we should free Australia’s female novelists from their male pseudonyms - article in The Conversation. A discussion of the sexism apparent in the literary world that led Gwen Harwood to create her hoax upon The Bulletin. Includes examples of other female writers who chose male pseudonyms and their thoughts on sexims in publishing.

Poetry Hero: Gwen Harwood : brief but informative commentary by another Australian poet, Katherine Gallagher

Bonny Cassidy — Gwen Harwood's Barn Owl: family as a stage for big ideas

Biography

Gwen Harwood by Stephanie Trigg
ISBN: 9780195532807
Publication Date: 1994-07-14
In this first study of a female author to be published in Oxford's 'AW' series, Stephanie Trigg has produced a superbly readable and highly provocative account of the work of this central and much-loved Australian poet - the 'Tasmanian mum', as she was so often dismissed, who went on to writesome of this country's outstanding lyrics.

Harwood, Gwendoline Nessie - Australian Dictionary of Biography - this article is a clear overview of Gewn Harwood's life and work, and some of the attitudes and experiences that shaped her writing. Links to further resources at the end of the article.

Gwen Harwood: A biography - Tasmanian Times website. Includes some useful thoughts on the reactions to the Walter Lehman hoax.

Blessed City - The Letters of Gwen Harwood to Thomas Riddell, January to September 1943 - ebook - Borrow from Libraries Tasmania through OverDrive. Requires current Libraries Tasmania library card.

Breaking free: the many voices of Gwen Harwood - Weekend Australian article with extensive discussion of life and work.

Gwen Harwood: An Introductory Approach by Mário Vítor Bastos, ULICES - University of Lisbon Centre for English Studies. An essay analysing the varoius writings of Gwen Harwood, including particular reference to the influence of the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein on her work.

Gwen Harwood - A Search for Meaning by Margie Beck; Religion, Literature and the Arts Project: Conference Proceedings of the Australian International Conference 1995. Excellent discussion of the themes Gwen Harwood explored in her poetry. Includes examples of importance of Wittgenstein's ideas in her writings.