Literature Matters: The Greatest Australian Poet Who Never Was
A public talk by Department of English faculty member Peter Robinson
Date: Wednesday, March 19
Time: 7:30 pm
Location: Grace-Westminster United Church Social Hall, 505-10th St. E., Saskatoon
Free and open to the public
About this event
In 1944, the Australian literary magazine Angry Penguins published a special number “to Commemorate the Australian Poet Ern Malley.” Inside, readers found 17 poems by a completely unknown poet, Ernest (“Ern”) Lalor Malley, and an introduction by the editor of Angry Penguins, Max Harris. Harris's introduction tells the brief story of Ern’s unhappy life: he worked as a garage mechanic and insurance salesman and died of Graves disease aged just 25, his poetry unknown. Yet Harris declared him a “great poet,” “one of the most outstanding poets we have produced here.” What a story! Australia’s own John Keats! And then it all went wrong.
Literature Matters: Literature in the Community is a free public lecture series sponsored by the University of Saskatchewan Department of English.
Info: 306-966-1268 | english.department@usask.ca
Upcoming Events
Rounding (IV): moving towards collection
Sep 12, 2025 - Mar 31, 2026
An exhibition featuring works by Augustus Kenderdine, Joshua Bonnetta and other contributors
A Public Talk by Louise Bernice Halfe
Apr 1, 2026
This event is presented by the Department of English and the MFA in Writing program.