Follies made plain by compassionate pen

October 26, 2007

In his 14th book of poems, The Sweeping Plain, Michael Sharkey sweeps our "plain" land with a satirical but compassionate eye.

The Sweeping Plain, he said, "looks – a little sceptically – at the myths we have about ourselves as a nation". "Many of the poems are about illusion," he explained. "We do a lot of foolish things thinking they're important."

From the mirage-haunted "sweeping plains" of Australia Michael Sharkey's gaze extends to other lands (unnamed, but identifiable through their own myths and illusions), and then to purely imaginary countries such as "Dipsomania", "Colorbondia", and "the Isle of Eftpos". These "States of mind" (as he calls them) are manifestations of particular human follies.

Dr Sharkey (pictured here) is an Associate Professor of English in the University of New England's School of Arts and co-founder and Chairman of the New England Writers' Centre. Well known both in Australia and abroad for his readings of his own work, he transported the audience at the Armidale launch of The Sweeping Plain last month to several of his satirical "States".

Speaking at the launch, Lesley Sly, the Director of the New England Writers' Centre, pointed out some of the apparent contradictions that contribute to the depth and complexity of Michael Sharkey's poetry. She referred to the man and his work as, on the one hand, "highly literary, erudite, and tough-minded" and, on the other, "close to the street, compassionate, and generous of spirit".

"I've always been acutely aware of the comedy of existence," Dr Sharkey said. And it's this comic vision that unifies the disparate elements of his poetry. As critics have said, his work is as much a "celebration of folly" as it is a satirical exposure of that folly.

Michael Sharkey writes poetry that is witty and accessible, that avoids sentimentality, and that celebrates colloquial speech. "Elegance in plain clothes" is one critic's summing-up of his style.

The Sweeping Plain is published in Melbourne by Five Islands Press. The poems will be available on CD and DVD within the next few months.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at October 26, 2007 03:46 PM