The unknowable is Ryan’s terrain; these are poems of keen appraisal and survival demonstrating an extraordinary range and held tight by a cohesive vision. Each poem makes clear the poet’s preoccupation with mortality. If the argument is with death – that cold cross-examiner – these are poems which respond with life.
PRAISE FOR THE BOOK
‘… an extraordinarily sophisticated thoughtful book.’ Dennis Haskell
‘… writing at the height of her powers.’ Alison Croggon
‘The language of The Argument is taut whittled down spare … This is poetry richly grounded in the real yet alive to its fluctuating uncertainty.’ Andrew Taylor
Awards
Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature, Poetry (Shortlisted 2012)
Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards, Poetry (Winner 2011)