New Selected Poems

A fresh selection of the finest poems—some previously uncollected—by one of our finest English-language poets

Why write poetry? For the weird unemployment.
For the painless headaches, that must be tapped to strike
down along your writing arm at the accumulated moment.
For the adjustments after, aligning facets in a verb
before the trance leaves you. For working always beyond


your own intelligence.
—from "The Instrument"

New Selected Poems contains Les Murray's own gathering from the full range of ...