Thomas Shapcott. Photo by Mark Fitzgerald ph 08-8362-3054. Courtesy Australian Poetry Library.
Thomas William Shapcott AO[1] (born 21 March 1935) is an Australian poet, novelist, playwright, editor, librettist, short story writer and teacher.
Life[]
Thomas William Shapcott was born in Ipswich, Queensland, and attended the Ipswich Grammar School with his twin brother, who was born on the previous day (20 March 1935). (The writer is left-handed, but his twin is right-handed.) He left school at 15 to work in his father's accountancy business, but completed an accountancy degree in 1961. In 1967 he graduated in arts from the University of Queensland.[2]
His first artistic impulse was to be a composer. By age 19, he had written a number of works, but he turned away from music when he discovered a string quartet he had written unconsciously plagiarised a chamber work by Ernest Bloch.[3] He then worked as a tax accountant, a profession that he pursued for 27 years.
He was director of the Australia Council's Literature Board for seven years, and Executive Director of the National Book Council (1992–97). He was Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Adelaide.[4]
He has written 15 collections of poetry and 6 novels.
Recognition[]
Thomas Shapcott was appointed an Officer (AO) of the Order of Australia in 1989.[1]
He is commemorated by the Thomas Shapcott Poetry Prize, awarded by the University of Queensland Press for an unpublished manuscript by a Queensland author.
Awards[]
- Grace Leven Poetry Prize, 1961: winner for "Time on Fire".
- Myer Award for Australian Poetry, 1967: winner for A taste of salt water
- C.J. Dennis Memorial Poetry Competition, Open Section, 1976: commended for The five senses
- Canada-Australia Literary Award, 1978
- Order of Australia, 1989, for his services to Literature
- Golden Wreath of the Struga Poetry Evenings laureate, 1990
- Wesley Michel Wright Prize for Poetry, 1996
- New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, Special Discretionary Award, 1996
- Patrick White Award, 2000
- Harold White Fellowships, 2005. Note: to examine the papers of Ray Mathew
- Honorary Doctorate of Literature from Macquarie University
Publications[]
Poetry[]
- Time on Fire. Brisbane. Qld: Jacaranda Press, 1961.
- The Mankind Thing. Brisbane, Qld: Jacaranda Press, 1964.
- Sonnets 1960-1963. Brisbane, Qld: Officina Donagheana, 1964.
- Taste of Salt Water: Poems. Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1967.
- Fingers at Air: Experimental poems, 1969. Ipswich, Qld: privately published, 1969.
- Inwards to the Sun: Poems. St Lucia, Qld: University of Queensland Press, 1969.
- Interim Report: Some poems, 1970-1971. Ipswich, Qld: privately published, 1971.
- Begin With Walking. St Lucia, Qld: University of Queensland Press, 1972.
- Two Voices: Poems. Ipswich, Qld: privately published, 1973.
- Shabbytown Calendar. St Lucia, Qld: University of Queensland Press, 1975.
- Seventh Avenue Poems. Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1976.
- Selected Poems. St Lucia, Qld: University of Queensland Press, 1978.
- Turning Full Circle. Sydney: New Poetry, 1979.
- Welcome!. St Lucia, Qld: University of Queensland Press, 1983.
- Travel Dice. St Lucia, Qld: University of Queensland Press, 1987.
- Selected Poems, 1956-1988. St Lucia, Qld: University of Queensland Press, 1989.
- In the Beginning. Canberra: National Library of Australia, 1990.
- The City of Home. St Lucia, Qld: University of Queensland Press, 1995.
- The Sun’s Waste is Our Energy. Cambridge, UK: Folio / Salt, 1998.
- Cities in Exile. Bucharest, Romania: Editura Integral, 1998.
- Checkov’s Mongoose. Applecross, WA: Salt, 2000.
- Music Circus, and other poems. Warners Bay, NSW: Picaro Press, 2004.
- The City of Empty Rooms. Cambridge, UK: Saltg, 2006.
- Adelaide Lunch Sonnets. Mont Albert, Vic: privately published, 2006.
- The Book of Hanging Gardens. Warners Bay, NSW: Picaro Press, 2009.
- Parts of Us. St Lucia, Qld: University of Queensland Press, 2010.
Except where noted, poetry information courtesy the Australian Poetry Library.[5]
Novels[]
- The Birthday Gift: A novel. St. Lucia, Qld, & New York: University of Queensland Press, 1982.
- White Stag of Exile. Ringwood, Vic: Allen Lane, 1984.
- Hotel Bellevue. London: Chatto & Windus, 1986.
- Mona's Gift. Ringwood, Vic: Viking / Penguin, 1993.
- The Search for Galina. North Ryde, NSW: Angus & Robertson, 1989; London: Chatto & Windus, 1989.
- Theatre of Darkness: Lillian Nordica as opera. Milsons Point, NSW, & New York: Vintage, 1998.
- Spirit Wrestlers. Kent Town, SA: Wakefield Press, 2004.
Short fiction[]
- Stump and Grape and Bopple-Nut: Prose inventions. Brisbane: Bullion, 1981.
- Limestone and Lemon Wine: Stories. London: Chatto & Windus, 1988.
- What You Own: Stories. North Ryde, NSW: Angus & Robertson, 1991.
- Gatherers and Hunters'. Kent Town, SA: Wakefield Press, 2010.
Juvenile[]
- His Master's Ghost (illustrated by Roger Simpson). Ringwood, Vic: McPhee Gribble / Penguin, 1990.
- Mr. Edumnd (illustrated by Steve J. Spears). Ringwood, Vic: McPhee Gribble / Penguin, 1990.
Edited[]
- Ray Mathew, Tense Little Lives: Uncollected prose. Canberra: National Library of Australia, 2007.
Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.[6]
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 It's an Honour
- ↑ Australian Poets and their Works, by W. Wilde, Oxford University Press, 1996
- ↑ Jason Steger, Best wishes from Patrick White: $20,000 prize for a man of letters, Sydney Morning Herald, 11 November 2000, p.5
- ↑ The Age, Easter Edition 25–26 March 2005, Review, p. 16
- ↑ Thomas W. Shapcott (1935- ), Australian Poetry Library, Web, Mar. 20, 2012.
- ↑ Search results = au: Thomas Shapcott fiction, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Feb. 14, 2015.
External links[]
- Poems
- Poems by Thomas Shapcott at Writing Macao (6 poems)
- Thomas W. Shapcott (1935- ) in the Australian Poetry Library (750 poems).
- Books
- Works by or about Thomas W. Shapcott in public libraries (WorldCat catalog).
- About
- Thomas Shapcott in the Oxford Companion to Australian Literature.
- Brisbane Writers Festival Site
- Academy Library – Thomas W. Shapcott
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