In 1943, two bored but talented soldiers in wartime Victoria Barracks Melbourne – James McAuley and Harold Stewart – decided to strike a blow against modernist poetry by submitting a series of poems, purportedly penned by Ern Malley, to literary editors Max Harris and John Reed. The Ern Malley saga links the literary journal Angry Penguins, the Adelaide literary establishment, General Blamey and a future governor-general. Join Michael O’Brien as he unravels the complex story and colourful characters involved in Australia’s greatest literary hoax.
Please arrive 6.00pm for a 6.30pm start.
