Why we should teach the Bible in all our schools Sep 11, 2008
An Australian version of the project would see discussion of Les Murray, Tim Winton and John Coburn in place of Emerson, Melville and Abraham Lincoln. But the backbone is there in the American work: a textbook that respects the content and structure of the Bible, Hebrew and Christian, and then seeks to communicate to students its vast significance for understanding the Western tradition, and more. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
The Land I Came Through Last Sep 6, 2008
In general, once Gray leaves childhood behind and before he reaches his adult years and those encounters with White - and with Les Murray and Bruce Chatwin, too - both the writing and the construction take on a haphazard air. It is interesting enough to follow Gray in his mild adventures with the hippie world, with provincial newspapers and during his time with Reader's Digest. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Poet palely loitering Sep 6, 2008
It tells of his childhood and teenage years on the NSW North Coast; his brief marriage to an unnamed woman and the birth of their stillborn baby boy; his years working in Sydney as a journalist, copywriter, mail sorter, bookshop assistant; and finally his friendships with writers, among them White, Les Murray and Kenneth Slessor. "I wrote the book five times," he says. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Rhyme and punishment Jul 13, 2008
" Clearly, if not exactly enamoured of the place, Wearne (who was the victim of a bashing on the South Coast train to Wollongong subsequent to this interview) understands what makes it tick. Often hesitant in conversation, Wearne is anything but on the page, where his fluency has earned him a solid reputation as one of Australia's most idiosyncratic poets. He is one of a handful, like Les Murray (with whom he had a famous public falling-out) and Dorothy Porter, to tackle the verse novel in a way... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
John Harms Truth, transcendence and Paul Kelly - all in an arvo at the footy Read more Jun 18, 2008
The poet Les Murray, who is not very Irish, once wrote in an essay in his fine book of prose called The Working Forest that every life has its own quiddity. That's a word you don't hear too often. (The Age, Australia)
The ice-cold reporter Jun 7, 2008
THERE was a delicious moment at the Perth Writers' Festival last year when Les Murray, taking a random seat at a coffee table between sessions, asked the beautiful blonde stranger to whom he had just been introduced what her name meant in her native Norway. Replying with characteristic coolness, Asne Seierstad said that her Christian name means "beloved of the gods". (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Honoring the Top Ten Jun 7, 2008
Honoring the top 10 ranking members of the senior class, their parents, and the teachers, who have made the most impact on their lives, the dinner was instituted by AHS Principal Les Murray. The tradition actually started at Triton Regional High School, where Murray was a special education teacher. (Amesbury News, MA)
AHS honors unsung students Apr 11, 2008
Each recipient was nominated by a teacher or faculty member and the awards were presented by Principal Les Murray. It s a really nice program. (Amesbury News, MA)
AHS principal has a lot on his plate Apr 4, 2008
If it seems that Amesbury High School Principal Les Murray is smiling a lot these days, there s a reason. Actually, there are several. (Amesbury News, MA)
Peeves aplenty in poets' corner Feb 23, 2008
Les Murray letter "a joke" ... LES MURRAY has proposed a publish-for-comment deal to a Sydney publisher because he is tired of being "pestered unmercifully" for free compliments for other poets' work ... Les Murray … letter "a joke". (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Rudd staff rebuked for shunning Nelson Feb 14, 2008
" Poet Les Murray, who helped draft a proposed preamble to the constitution for John Howard, said the crowd had treated Dr Nelson as a proxy for the former PM. "I thought it was unfair and stupid, actually, because he is not John Howard. " The Australian Liberal Students' Federation condemned the decision by the Liberal party to back Mr Rudd's apology. President Timothy Andrews warned that it could make authorities reluctant to remove children who were at risk of abuse. Mr Tuckey said,... (Sydney Morning Herald)
'Sorry. We'll never let it happen again' Feb 13, 2008
Poet Les Murray felt the apology was verbose, and damned it with faint praise. "It's a good piece of parliamentary drafting, say no more. It would go better if it didn't have the last third of it being waffle.". (The Age, Australia -- Breaking News)
Friends and foes unite to farewell a true contrarian Feb 1, 2008
McGuinness's friend and poet Les Murray jostled for a perch with the former Reserve Bank governor Ian Macfarlane, the former treasury secretary John Stone, the former Fairfax Media chief executive Chris Anderson and a cluster of now-ageing members of the self-styled "The Push", including the film producer Margaret Fink and the academic Marion Manton, who spoke of McGuinness's involvement in the libertarian, secularist, atheistic and anarchist movement in Sydney during the 1950s and '60s. Paddy... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Boulevard bears scars of history's flow Jan 18, 2008
Les Murray, East Sydney. send photos, videos ffs to 0424 SMS SMH (+61 424 767 764), or us. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Doyle: They might ban what at schools...? Dec 29, 2007
And, according to Amesbury High Principal Les Murray, there s another component to this issue that must be considered the always-popular in-school bake sale that clubs and organizations rely on as a regular means of fundraising. Though rarely enforced, Murray says any kind of food sales scheduled near or during the time school lunches are served have always been illegal as far as the federal government is concerned. (Amesbury News, MA)
Doyle: AHS student competing for national scholarship Dec 14, 2007
Amesbury High Principal Les Murray announced last Friday that senior Mollie Sydlowski has been nominated to compete in the national Principal s Leadership Award (PLA) program, sponsored by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). One hundred winners will be selected in the spring and will receive a college scholarship ranging from $1,000 to $12,000. (Amesbury News, MA)
Just perfect when it's neat and tidy, and that's the problem Nov 3, 2007
Les Murray once wrote a fine poem called The Quality of Sprawl. The way he defined it, sprawl was an Australian characteristic that involved a great deal of messiness. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
Rush will doom preamble, say experts Oct 13, 2007
In the end, Mr Howard co-penned the version with the poet Les Murray. The director of the Indigenous Law Centre, Megan Davis, gave cautious support to the idea of a preamble but said it would not give indigenous people any further rights or legal status. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Philip Roth Braces for Nobel Snub, Australia's Les Murray Rated a Chance Oct 10, 2007
Australia's best chance this year is poet Les Murray. The technical sophistication of his verse contrasts with earthier preoccupations with rural life and indigenous cultures. (Bloomberg -- Australia & New Zealand)
Nobel Peace Prize guessing game begins Oct 6, 2007
For the literature award, British bookmaker Ladbrokes gave Italian writer Claudio Magris Magris the lowest odds, ahead of Australian poet Les Murray. American novelist Philip Roth - whose name appears in Nobel speculation every year was third. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Caution, poets at work Sep 11, 2007
Inside the festival proper, Les Murray said he saw himself as a working poet who was taking his craft to audiences. "Poetry has become a performance art again," he said. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Man drives to hospital after vicious stabbing Aug 31, 2007
Les Murray is looking really young these days. A-League supporter, Sydney on. (Macquarie National News)
Face of a network falls silent Aug 25, 2007
Presenters including David Stratton and Margaret Pomeranz fled to greener pastures, while Les Murray and Lee Lin Chin have been forced to live in reduced circumstances. The axing of Hotline has even silenced viewer critics. (Sydney Morning Herald)
Rate the Socceroos Jul 14, 2007
Les Murray was there to guide us through the tough times bring him back to the commentary team for Thailand. Posted by: Dom on July 14, 2007 9:59 AM. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Sport)
The dethroned god Jul 7, 2007
Les Murray has celebrated the "quality of sprawl", but for long poems these sequences are almost entirely free of poetic packing or fat. Taken as a whole, the Peppercanister sequence is a kind of poetic coral reef, an organic structure growing old with the poet and acquiring extra layers as it does so. (Guardian Unlimited -- Books)
Back from the Brink Jun 14, 2007
Many of the high profile people interviewed in the book have already come out and told the public about their illness like poet Les Murray and swimmer John Konrads. Some cases were unknown like Anthony Field from the Wiggles. (ABC Regional Online)
A voice leading back from the brink Jun 14, 2007
" What makes Cowan's book different is that it was written by someone who is a victim of depression and also features in-depth interviews with 12 other sufferers - including such prominent and successful people as the former West Australian premier Geoff Gallop, poet Les Murray, painter Margaret Olley, and gold medal swimmers Petria Thomas and John Konrads. Each describes in harrowing detail how they slipped into what Murray calls "the puddle of despair". And how - with the help of others - they... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
A devotion that waxes and wanes Feb 13, 2007
Les Murray has written. The best love poems are known. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Branko's appointment, Ramario's hat-trick and Kosmina's spray Feb 13, 2007
He's got a certificate from the Les Murray Foster school of singing and dancing and he can speak English wthout a Scottish accent ... We had McFlynn to do the donkey work - I thought (unlike Les Murray) that Salley might have been just the guy to do that role, but I gather he was getting better offers elsewhere. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Sport)
Echoes and quirks Feb 10, 2007
Manhire's Australian neighbour Les Murray likes to trumpet his attachment to his homeland's "redneck" tribe while writing in a style of unabashed complexity. Manhire too has his tribal attachments, but with less of Murray's ferocity and verbal knottiness: give or take the odd "tui" or "pohutukawa" to trouble the non-natives, his transparent, available style sounds more like Billy Collins. (Guardian Unlimited -- Books)
Is chopping Butcher the right move? Feb 7, 2007
Give it a rest, Les Murray would do a better job. And forget Branco, JPdM, no NSL throwbacks please, we need a name from overseas. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Sport)
At last, Heaney takes poetry's biggest prize Jan 16, 2007
Previous winners include Alice Oswald, Ted Hughes and Les Murray. "Foyles always sees an upsurge in sales of the winning title and of that poet's backlist," explained Ms Hamilton. (Guardian Unlimited -- Books)
