Peter Porter (poet) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Peter Porter OAM
Porter in 2007
Born	Peter Neville Frederick Porter (1929-02-16)16 February 1929 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Died	23 April 2010(2010-04-23) (aged 81) London, United Kingdom
Resting place	Highgate Cemetery
Occupation	Poet
Nationality	Australian British
Spouse	Jannice Henry (died 1974), Christine Berg

Peter Neville Frederick Porter was an important poet. He was born in Australia but lived most of his life in Britain. He was known for his clever and often serious poems. Peter Porter received the OAM award, which is a special honor. He wrote many books of poetry during his life.

Peter Porter's Life Story

Peter Porter was born in Brisbane, Australia, in 1929. When he was nine years old, his mother, Marion, sadly passed away. He went to the Anglican Church Grammar School.

After school, at age 18, he started working as a trainee journalist. He worked for a newspaper called The Courier-Mail. However, he only worked there for one year before he was let go.

In 1951, Peter moved to England. On the boat trip, he met Jill Neville, who later became a famous novelist. Jill Neville even wrote about Peter in her first book, The Fall Girl.

Peter returned to England after a short time. In 1955, he joined a writing group called "The Group". This group helped him publish his first collection of poems in 1961.

In 1961, he married Jannice Henry, a nurse. They had two daughters. During this time, Peter worked in advertising. He also started to get more work in the literary world, writing for magazines and newspapers. Sadly, Jannice passed away in 1974.

Years later, in 1991, Peter married Christine Berg. She was a child psychologist.

Peter Porter was honored many times for his writing. In 2001, he became the Poet in Residence at the Royal Albert Hall. This is a very famous concert hall in London. In 2007, he was named a Companion of Literature by the Royal Society of Literature. This is a high honor given to only a few living writers.

Grave of Peter Porter in Highgate Cemetery

Peter Porter passed away on April 23, 2010. He was 81 years old and had been ill with liver cancer. After his death, a poetry award in Australia was renamed the Peter Porter Poetry Prize to honor him. He was buried in Highgate Cemetery in London.

Peter Porter's Poetic Works

Peter Porter's poems first appeared in a magazine called Delta in 1958. His work became more widely known in 1960. This happened when his poem Metamorphosis was published in The Times Literary Supplement.

His first book of poems, Once Bitten Twice Bitten, came out in 1961. Peter Porter was influenced by other famous poets. These included W. H. Auden, John Ashbery, and Wallace Stevens.

His poetry changed over time. His early poems were often witty and satirical. This means they used humor to criticize things. Later, his poems became more serious and thoughtful. Examples of his later works include The Cost of Seriousness and English Subtitles.

In 1983, Peter Porter was a judge for the Booker Prize. This is a very important award for novels.

Awards and Recognitions

Peter Porter received many awards for his poetry. Here are some of them:

• 1983: Duff Cooper Memorial Prize for his first collection of poems.
• 1988: Whitbread Poetry Award for Automatic Oracle.
• 1990: Australian Literature Society Gold Medal for Possible Worlds.
• 1997: Age Book of the Year Poetry Prize (Co-winner) for Dragons in their Pleasant Palaces.
• 1998: The First King's Lynn Award for Merit in Poetry.
• 2000: Philip Hodgins Memorial Medal.
• 2002: Forward Poetry Prize for Max Is Missing.
• 2002: Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry.
• 2004: Medal of the Order of Australia.
• 2004: Honorary Fellow of the English Association, UK.
• 2007: Royal Society of Literature Companion of Literature.
• 2009: Honorary Doctorate from Nottingham Trent University.
• 2009: Age Book of the Year Poetry Prize for Better Than God.

Books by Peter Porter

Peter Porter wrote many collections of poetry. Here are some of his main books:

Poetry Collections

• Once Bitten Twice Bitten, 1961
• Poems Ancient and Modern, 1964
• A Porter Folio, 1969
• The Last of England, 1970
• After Martial, 1972
• Preaching to the Converted, 1972
• Jonah, with Arthur Boyd, 1973
• Living in a Calm Country, 1975
• The Lady and the Unicorn, with Arthur Boyd, 1975
• The Cost of Seriousness, 1978
• English Subtitles, 1981
• Fast Forward, 1984
• Narcissus with Arthur Boyd, 1984
• The Automatic Oracle, 1987
• Mars, with Arthur Boyd, 1987
• Possible Worlds, 1989
• The Chair of Babel, 1992
• Millennial Fables, 1994
• Dragons in Their Pleasant Palaces, 1997
• Both Ends Against the Middle, 1999
• Max Is Missing, 2001
• Afterburner, 2004
• Better Than God, 2009
• Chorale at the Crossing, 2016 (Published after his death)

Selected and Collected Poetry

• Collected Poems, 1983.
• A Porter Selected: Poems 1959–1989. 1989.
• Collected Poems. 2 vols. 1999.

Peter Porter in Other Media

• In 1981, a Scottish post-punk band called Scars recorded a song. It was based on Peter Porter's poem "Your Attention Please." This song appeared on their album Author! Author!.