The Eagle and the Crow
Title: The Eagle and the Crow
Author: JM Field
Publisher: University of Queensland Press
Shortlist: Indigenous Writing
Part instruction manual and part philosophical text, The Eagle and the Crow is a profound work of First Nations knowledge and research. Written as a series of lyric essays, JM Field’s book traverses Gamilaraay conceptions of time and place, the ways English can quietly disrupt languages and cultures, and the form and practical functions of kinship systems. Most importantly, Field’s fascinating insights from mathematics offer a map for the revitalisation of Gamilaraay social structures once prohibited during the Missionary Era. Generous yet restrained, this collection is an important act of resistance.
Judges’ Report
The Eagle and The Crow is a remarkable collection distinguished by its clarity, restraint and emotional acuity. Field’s poems and essays move with quiet precision, drawing power from what is left unsaid as much as what is spoken. The work’s lyric intelligence is matched by its attentiveness to Country, kinship and the shifting dynamics of care and inheritance.
Extract
Click the image below to view
About the Author
JM Field
VPLA book photography by Shannyn Higgins
The Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards are proudly supported by the Victorian Government.
