Born in New South Wales, Australia in 1945, Robert Gray is one of the most significant, if under-appreciated, writers to emerge from Australia in the past century. As a poet, he has explored a wide range of themes, concentrating mainly on the natural world and the relationship between mankind and it. Described by one critic as 'one of the contemporary masters of poetry in English', Gray has been awarded a plethora of literary prizes throughout his career, including the sought-after Grace Leven Prize for Poetry.
Knowledgeable in the fields of Eastern religion, specifically Buddhism, Gray has incorporated this into his work, not only in terms of theme but also style, experimenting for a time with the Japanese poetic form of haiku. City and country, man and nature, East and West: all these points of tension are where Gray has focused his energies, the result being that he has produced uplifting and innovative verse.
