The Water Bearer

Water is contained in these poems in many different ways: from the water filling a second-hand cooler in an old farmhouse to ocean riptides and impassive dams; from swimming lessons to paddocks layered with water after rain. From scheme water, pipelines and a countryside in the grip of drought – the water in this collection is a many-sided metaphor. Tracy Ryan’s latest collection of poems is full of intimate intensity and clear vision, each poem wrought with consummate skill by ‘one of Australia’s most gifted poets’ (Marion May Campbell).

PRAISE FOR THE BOOK

‘Her language is elegant, spare, and deeply considered, a highly crafted mix of poetic and simple, of direct and elusive. These poems will withstand many readings, and will stay with you long after the pages are closed.’ WritingWA

‘This review leaves much unsaid regarding how The Water Bearer augments Ryan’s already long list of fine accomplishments. Poem after poem here demonstrates beautifully honed linguistic arrangement, haunting affective intensity, and stunning formal control. It is for this unsaid, and much more, that the reader should turn to this volume, many times.’ Cordite Poetry Review

‘The Water Bearer is a book that rewards re-reading, not only of itself but of the other eight fine collections that precede and feed into it. For these are poems that raise questions without easy answers or resolutions, but ones that if studied might let us sit quietly with joy …’ Westerly

‘Great poets take the intensely personal and render it universal without losing intimacy. Their intimacy becomes a shared or understood experience through their interpretation. Tracy Ryan’s work has always been like this. Precise, exact words highlight the simplicity and complexity of existence.’ Susan Laura Sullivan, Plumwood Mountain