Arts world mourns loss of Dorothy Porter

Dorothy Porter, a shining light of the poetry world, died in Melbourne on 9 December. Described as one of the true originals, Porter is best known for her verse novels including The Monkey’s Mask a thriller about a lesbian detective, published in 1994. The Monkey’s Mask won the National Book Council’s Poetry Prize in 1995 and was shortlisted for several other literary awards, before being published in the United States, Canada, Britain and Germany. In 2001 a film version starring Susie Porter and Kelly McGillis, was directed by Samantha Lang.

Other verse novels, What A Piece Work (1999), and Wild Surmise (2003), were shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award.

Recently her fifth verse novel, El Dorado, was nominated for several awards including the inaugural Prime Minister’s Literary Award in 2007 and Best Fiction in the Ned Kelly Awards.

See Overland‘s tributes to Dorothy Porter