In 1984, David Reiter began a journey of discovery well above the Arctic Circle. Rather than an expedition requiring physical strength and endurance, this was one of artistic exploration. David lived for several weeks with one of Canada’s First People, the Inuit, well before their sovereignty was recognised by the federal government. Immersing himself in their lifestyle, culture and craft, David responded with sensitivity and admiration through the filter of poetry. Theirs was a lifestyle under threat from the incursion of southern culture and technology, but the Inuit today have proven as resilient as any Indigenous people.
Thirty years and several poetry collections later, David returns to his first work to celebrate not only the adventure of exploration and also to reflect on how far the Inuit have traveled since then.
Enhanced by the drawings of Canadian artists Marilyn Higgins and Lloyd Bennett, this collection will transport you to a land and people worth contemplating as a model of endurance and survival.
IP (Interactive Publications Pty Ltd) –
‘…a poet of energy, a tremendous energy, which spills over into some marvellous monologues, as though a single speaking voice is not enough to contain it.’
– Martin Duwell
IP (Interactive Publications Pty Ltd) –
‘Articulate and endless curious, Reiter sets no bounds to his taste for the world’s many places, people and happenings.’
– Judith Rodriguez
IP (Interactive Publications Pty Ltd) –
‘Phrases, lines, stories that reflect back and forth touching always on the dream of happiness, the longing to make sense of ourselves.’
– Peter Boyle