Books by Brendan Ryan

Australian poet Brendan Ryan speaks about his life in this memoir of "the child, the youth and the young man finding his footing amidst the mysteries of cows and the ruthless cycles of the farm, the dry-eyed melancholy of the milking-shed and the mercy of the weather. Here also are the puzzles of existence contained in parents and siblings, in small things and small talk, and the revelations of the school bus and the school. This is a classic memoir: Brendan Ryan''s words come at us directly, and often with startling intensity, from indelible experience. And we feel his need to return." (Don Watson, 2020)

Ryan draws poetry from the tough work of dairy farming and factories, poetry that transcends time and class, it's a joy to read this book, laced with dry humour and a complex humanity. Hard edged yet inviting. Ryan has a light touch and a gathering depth. 'The Lowlands of Moyne' is rich with living, an exciting and positive book, poetry that glows in the darkness.Robert Adamson