David Rowbotham

For the English musician, see Dave Rowbotham.

David Harold Rowbotham AM (27 August 1924 – 6 October 2010) was an Australian poet and journalist.^[1]

David Rowbotham
Born	David Harold Rowbotham (1924-08-27)27 August 1924 Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia
Died	6 October 2010(2010-10-06) (aged 86) Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Occupation	Poet and journalist
Period	1946-2010
Notable awards	2007 Patrick White Award

Early life

Rowbotham was born in the Darling Downs of Queensland, in the city of Toowoomba.^[2] He attended Toowoomba Grammar School and later studied at the University of Queensland and the University of Sydney.^[3] During the Second World War, he served on the Pacific front.^[1]

Literary career

Rowbotham worked as a journalist for the Toowoomba Chronicle and Brisbane Courier-Mail from 1955 to 1964.^[4] He lectured in English at the University of Queensland between 1965 and 1969, then became the literary critic for the Brisbane Courier-Mail from 1969 to 1980, and later its literary editor from 1980 to 1987.^[3]

Though lyrical in form, Rowbotham's poems often focus on history. After Penguin published his Selected Poems in 1994, which covered fifty years of work, Rowbotham entered a productive late period that culminated in the well-received Poems for America in 2002. In 2005, Picaro Press's Wagtail series published a chapbook of Rowbotham's titled The Brown Island.^[5]

Later life

A friend and mentor to many Australian writers, Rowbotham also maintained wide international connections.^[1]

He died on 6 October 2010.^[6]

Awards and recognition

Rowbotham was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1991 for his service to literature.^[7]

In 2007, he received the Patrick White Award, which was presented to him on 9 November 2007 in Brisbane.^[8]

Bibliography

• Ploughman and Poet (1954)
• Inland (1958)
• All the Room (1964)
• Bungalow and Hurricane (1967)
• The Makers of the Ark (1970)
• The Pen of Feathers (1971)
• Maydays (1980)
• Selected Poems (1994)
• The Ebony Gates (1996)
• Poems for America (2002)
• The Brown Island (2005)
• The Cave in the Sky (2005)
• The Star of Engelmeer (2006)
• Rogue Moons (2007)