Ern Malley, the original dromedary of Australian poetry, has been anthologised, criticised and mythologised beyond belief. It’s perhaps sobering to reflect that while Ern Malley’s creators, his twin Gepettos James McAuley and Harold Stewart along with his original sponsor Max Harris have passed from this world, Ern’s legend lives on. What is it about Ern Malley that refuses to die?
The answer to this burning question and several others continues to elude us but the good news is that we are proud to announce the arrival of our biggest issue yet – Cordite #23: Children of Malley! Featuring forty five poems by a range of Australian and international poets writing under strange (and sometimes hilarious) noms de malley, this issue is one we’re extra proud of and we hope you’ll enjoy it too.
As mentioned, the contributors to this issue remain, for the moment, anonymous. That’s where you come in. We’d like to know who you think each child o’ Malley is – and we invite you to leave a comment or two speculating upon their true identities. Each time the correct identity of a child is guessed, we’ll confirm and acknowledge via some suitably scandalous public admission, or perhaps even an apology.
So, put your thinking caps on, and we look forward to your nominations for the real names of these sometimes crazy/ sometimes sweet, long-lost Children of Malley.
