Dorothy Porter died in
Melbourne this morning from complications due to cancer. She was
54.
A writer at the height of her powers, Dorothy's most recent publication was El Dorado, her fifth verse novel. It was shortlisted for the Dinny O'Hearn Poetry Prize (Age Book of the Year Award), the Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature, the Prime Minister's Literary Award for Fiction, and Best Fiction in the Ned Kelly Awards and the Australian Book Review described it thus: ...this mature and accomplished work...puts her at the top of the distinguished class of contemporary Australian poets when it comes to lives composés.
Her awards include The Age Book of the Year for Poetry, the National Book Council Award for The Monkey's Mask and the FAW Christopher Brennan Award for Poetry. Two of her verse novels have been shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award: What a Piece of Work in 2000 and Wild Surmise in 2003. In 2000 the film The Monkey's Mask was made of her verse novel of the same name.
Readings Books and Music's community will miss her terribly.
