Dorothy Porter dead
Well-respected poet and author Dorothy Porter died in Melbourne last week from complications with breast cancer. She was 54.
Porter was best known for her verse novels.脗聽 The Monkey’s Mask, a thriller about a lesbian detective, was published in 1994 and later made into a film, released in 2001 starring Susie Porter and Kelly McGillis.
The novel was shortlisted for several awards, taking out the National Book Council’s Poetry Prize in 1995.
Two of Porter’s later verse novels, What A Piece of Work and Wild Surmise were shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award.
She was also awarded an Adelaide Festival Award for Poetry and a Premier’s Award. Porter had also written six collections of poetry and two novels for young adults.
She lived in Clifton Hill with her partner, writer Andrea Goldsmith, after moving from Sydney in the early ’90s.
She was well-known for her poetry reading, and her ability to skillfully encapsulate large and complex concepts using few words.
Porter was in the throes of writing a rock opera script with Tim Finn called January. She also recently wrote lyrics for jazz composer Paul Grabowsky and Katie Noonan’s collaborative work Before Time Could Change Us.
Novelist David Malouf praised her as an -艙inventive poet.
