Peter Porter is one of the pre-eminent Australian poets of his generation and a major figure in the landscape of British poetry. The publication of Better Than God will coincide with his 80th birthday. He has received the Queen's Gold Medal for poetry and innumerable other awards. A previous collection for Picador, Max Is Missing, won the Forward Prize for best collection.
Porter's new collection refines the ideas of his last few books, returning to the themes of history, art and mortality. Many of the poems are reminiscent of Wallace Steven's final book The Rock in their magisterial late-life perspective. This is an important work from a highly respected poet. Peter Porter arrived in Britain 50 years ago and has lived there ever since. Since 1974, he has visited his native Australia often and considers himself part of the present-day poetical worlds of both nations. Since 1968 he has been a freelance literary journalist and reviewer. He has published 16 books of poems, plus four further volumes with the Australian painter, Arthur Boyd. He has been married twice and has, with his second wife, eight grandchildren.
