Π.O.

Π.O. (Pi.O.) is a legendary figure in the Australian poetry scene, born in Greece and brought up in Fitzroy, the chronicler of Melbourne and its culture and migrations, a highly disciplined Anarchist who has worked as a draughtsman for forty years to support his family and his art. He is the publisher of Unusual Work by Collective Effort Press, a long-time magazine editor, a pioneer of performance poetry in Australia, and the author of many collections, including Panash, Fitzroy Poems, Big Numbers: New and Selected Poems, and the two epic works 24 Hours and Fitzroy: The Biography. Heide, the final book in this monumental trilogy, was published by Giramondo in 2019.

Titles

Poetry

560 pages
Paperback, 23.4 x 15.3 cm
Published October 2019
ISBN 9781925818208

An epic poem about history, painting, painters, patrons – from Louis Buvelot to Tom Roberts and Arthur Streeton to Vassilieff, Sidney Nolan, Albert Tucker, Joy Hester, the Boyds, Mirka Mora, and Albert Namatjira, with a particular focus on the artists gathered around Sunday and John Reed at Heide in Melbourne. Heide is about the Australian preoccupation with landscape, the dominance of a masculinist aesthetic, the sidelining and denigration of Indigenous art, the struggle of women artists to assert their influence and presence, and the impact of migration on Australian culture. It is a long poem made up of almost 300 poems, each bringing to life characters and incidents that are fleshed out in vivid detail and with a dramatic intensity unique in Australian poetry.

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Videos

A conversation between poet PiO, and Giramondo Publisher, Ivor Indyk, about PiO's Judith Wright Calanthe Award-winning book Heide. Hosted by Readings, 2020.