We have to thank Julian Croft for this selection of Slessor’s light verse first published in Smith's Weekly between February 1928 and November 1933. Here is a worthy successor to Slessor’s Darlinghurst Nights, until now the only selection of frivolous Slessor available to the general reader. The verses here are no less charming than those of the earlier selection and their omission from Darlinghurst Nights, first published in 1933, seems merely to be based on the fact that they do not fit easily into the theme of that volume. They are certainly no less delightfully capricious in their rhyme schemes and no less artfully artless.
Take, for example, the first stanza of the poem Julian Croft has chosen to name the selection:
The beach is not entirely free.
The sands are far from trackless,
When Betty dances to the sea,
So rapturously backless:
By this, we don't impute a lack
In one whose back is peerless
FOR WHO.
POSSESSING SUCH A BACK.
COULD BE DESCRIBED
AS REARLESS?
Backless Betty from Bondi by Kenneth Slessor
A & R, $9.95, 35pp
ABR receives a commission on items purchased through this link. All ABR reviews are fully independent.
If you are an ABR subscriber, you will need to sign in to post a comment.
If you have forgotten your sign in details, or if you receive an error message when trying to submit your comment, please email your comment (and the name of the article to which it relates) to ABR Comments. We will review your comment and, subject to approval, we will post it under your name.
Please note that all comments must be approved by ABR and comply with our Terms & Conditions.