Was Les Murray the last true bush-bard or a master of modern polemic?

Ideas & Philosophy · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Les Murray was a towering figure in Australian letters, celebrated as a leading poet of his generation. Yet, his legacy remains a paradox: he was a traditionalist who championed the rural vernacular while engaging in fierce intellectual wars, all while navigating his own identity as a high-performing Asperger.

Born in 1938 in Nabiac, New South Wales, Les Murray’s path to becoming a poet began at age 18 while observing mayflies. His career, spanning over 40 years, saw the publication of nearly 30 volumes of poetry. Murray was a complex figure; he was a Roman Catholic convert, a former translator, and a man who deeply identified with the rural poor. His work often explored themes of dispossession and the importance of the land, reflecting a nationalistic identity rooted in egalitarianism and independence.

Murray was a central combatant in the 'poetry wars' of the 1970s, where he staunchly opposed literary modernism. He criticized post-modernism for alienating the common reader, instead advocating for accessibility and reviving traditional forms like the ballad. His prose was frequently polemic, attacking feminism and modernism while promoting republicanism and Aboriginal models. Critics often noted a 'skewer of polemic' running through his work, where his brilliant linguistic dexterity lived alongside sentiments that many found divisive or morally sharp.

His personal life deeply informed his art. The death of his mother, which he linked to the neglect of the rural poor by urban elites, became a major preoccupation in his writing. Later in life, after his son Alexander was diagnosed with autism, Murray recognized similar traits in himself, describing his own mind as 'high-performing Asperger'. Despite his controversial stances and his role in public disputes—such as the Demidenko affair in 1995—he remained a celebrated figure, winning numerous awards including the T. S. Eliot Prize in 1996 and being named an Australian Living Treasure in 1997.

Ultimately, Murray remains a figure of immense invention. While some critics, like Peter Porter, found his opposition to liberalism distracting, others like David McCooey praised him as a traditional poet who was nonetheless 'radically original'. His ability to turn common objects and machines into installations of reality ensured his place as a significant, if polarizing, voice in English-language poetry until his death in 2019.

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