8th February 2025 marks one hundred years since the birth of renowned Sydney poet Francis Webb (1925 – 1973). Toby Davidson, editor of Francis Webb's Collected Poems published by UWAP in 2011, shares his thoughts on the upcoming centenary below.
A startling talent from his late teens, Webb’s first poems appeared in the Bulletin and its influential editor Douglas Stewart soon heralded A Drum for Ben Boyd (1948) as ‘major poetry’ and ‘without parallel’ for a debut poet.
By 1969, when Webb’s career effectively ended with his Collected Poems, he had profoundly influenced both the postwar and late 60s generations. Les Murray called him ‘the gold standard by which complex poetic language has been judged’, while Gwen Harwood wrote that Webb was ‘unmatched’ and Judith Wright declared ‘He’s done so much suffering for me and I’ve read him so much and I think that’s what poetry is for’.
Today, Webb is recognised by a new generation as the first Australian poet to write about mental health and the lives of mental patients when it was utterly taboo, informed by his redemptive, transcendent Catholicism.
Francis Webb will forever be the ultimate ‘poet’s poet’, but he belongs to all Australians and this milestone is a chance to reflect on his legacy which elevates us all. To celebrate the Francis Webb Centenary, I am convening a series of publications, podcasts and readings in his honour throughout 2025 (see links below):
Limited time only: Use code WEBB100 for 25% off the Collected Poems
Dr Toby Davidson is a poet and Webb scholar based at Macquarie University, Sydney. He is the editor of the updated edition of Francis Webb’s Collected Poems, available in paperback and ebook from UWA Publishing, as is his most recent book, Good for the Soul: John Curtin’s Life with Poetry.