Year of the Wasp
*Winner of the Vincent Buckley Poetry Prize*
*Shortlisted for the Prime Minister's Literary Awards*
*Shortlisted for the John Bray Poetry Award*
*Shortlisted for the Judith Wright Calanthe Award*
In 2012 poet and writer Joel Deane suffered a stroke. Suddenly he was a poet without language. Year of the Wasp tracks Deane’s journey to rediscover his poetic voice.
From these deeply personal origins Deane’s third poetry collection rises to confront the realities of politics and culture, language and love in contemporary Australia. It is a journey of poetic transfiguration that produces a work of unrivalled power, emotional intensity, and insight.
‘It is rare and electrifying to read poetry with this much at stake. This is Joel Deane’s masterwork. Wild, bitter, rapturous, it is his ‘Howl' and ‘Book of Revelations'. Magnificent!‘ — Lisa Gorton
Joel Deane is poet, novelist, journalist, and speechwriter. In 2017, he won the Vincent Buckley Poetry Prize. His work has also been a finalist and shortlisted for the Prime Minister's Literary Award, the John Bray Poetry Award, the Judith Wright Calanthe Award, the Walkley Award, and the Melbourne Prize for Literature. He lives in Melbourne.