Hope, A D

▪ 2001

      Australian poet, writer, and teacher (b. July 21, 1907, Cooma, N.S.W., Australia—d. July 13, 2000, Canberra, Australia), was considered by many to have been nonpareil among Australian poets of his generation. Combining classical form with modernist, often sexually frank content, Hope created rich and powerful verse that inspired moral disgust in some and awe in others. Although Hope had written verse throughout his life, his first collection of poems, The Wandering Islands (1955), was not published until he was 48 years old. Other volumes followed, and in the late 1960s Hope retired from a distinguished academic career in which he had played an instrumental role in the creation of the country's first degree program in Australian literature. Hope was also known for his thoughtful essays and unmercifully harsh literary critiques, both of which were collected in part in The Cave and the Spring (1965), A Midsummer Eve's Dream (1970), and Native Companions (1974). The recipient of numerous awards and recognitions, Hope was made an OBE in 1972 and a Companion of the Order of Australia in 1981.

* * *