Australian poetry classics: John Forbes’ On the Beach exposes the nation’s myths of convenience

By Aidan Coleman, Senior Lecturer, English and Creative Writing, Southern Cross University

In this series, we explore influential Australian poems.

When John Forbes (1950–98) died of a heart attack at the young age of 47, he left behind a slim but remarkable body of work. He is still influential and widely read. His Collected Poems recently went into a fifth reprinting. A biography and anthology of his prose writings will be published in 2027.

Educated at De La Salle Catholic boys’ schools…

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