Lifesaver (poem) explained

"Lifesaver"
Author:Elizabeth Riddell
Written:1931
First:The Bulletin
Country:Australia
Language:English
Publication Date:4 March 1931

"Lifesaver" (1931) is a poem by Australian poet Elizabeth Riddell.[1]

It was originally published in The Bulletin on 4 March 1931,[2] as by "Elizabeth Richmond", and was subsequently reprinted in the author's single-author collections and a number of Australian poetry anthologies.

The poem depicts the death of a youth from drowning on an Australian beach as he is returned to shore by lifesavers.

Critical reception

While reviewing the author's poetry collection Poems in 1948 a Bulletin reviewer noted: "The distinguishing qualities of Elizabeth Riddell's Poems (Ure Smith Pty. Ltd.) are a rich and colorful imagery and the sparkle of epigram...It is with some surprise that one realises, among the tropic landscapes or in the sunlight of wit, that almost all the poems are concerned, one way or another, with death. Sometimes, as in "Lifesaver," the theme is stated clearly and sharply."[3]

Publication history

After the poem's initial publication in The Bulletin it was reprinted as follows:

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Austlit — "Lifesaver" by Elizabeth Riddell . Austlit. 30 April 2024.
  2. Web site: Riddell . Elizabeth . 4 March 1931 . "Lifesaver" . 30 April 2024 . The Bulletin . 5.
  3. Web site: 1 December 1948 . "Elizabeth Riddell's Poems" . 30 April 2024 . The Bulletin . 2.
  4. Web site: Australian Poetry 1942 edited by Robert D. Fitzgerald. National Library of Australia. 30 April 2024.
  5. Web site: Poems by Elizabeth Riddell. National Library of Australia. 30 April 2024.
  6. Web site: An Anthology of Australian Verse edited by George Mackaness. National Library of Australia. 30 April 2024.
  7. Web site: New Land, New Language : An Anthology of Australian Verse edited by Judith Wright. National Library of Australia. 30 April 2024.
  8. Web site: Forbears by Elizabeth Riddell. National Library of Australia. 30 April 2024.
  9. Web site: Silence into Song : An Anthology of Australian Verse edited by Clifford O'Brien. National Library of Australia. 30 April 2024.
  10. Web site: From the Midnight Courtyard by Elizabeth Riddell. National Library of Australia. 30 April 2024.
  11. Web site: Selected Poems by Elizabeth Riddell. National Library of Australia. 30 April 2024.

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