Brentley Frazer

Brentley Frazer (born 1972) is an Australian poet/writer and artist.

Frazer's poetry and other writings have appeared in many of the world's most reputable literary journals, magazines, anthologies and periodicals, including, The Age, Exquisite Corpse Journal of Letters, Jack Magazine, , Rattapallax Magazine, Short Fuse and Moosehead Anthology X. Mr. Frazer's coherent theories of sociolinguistics distinguish him among contemporary poets, as they are based on his wide readings of contemporary philosophy and literature. His first book "A Dark Samadhi" - poems + microtexts was published in 2003 to critical acclaim. In a review of A Dark Samadhi The Courier Mail [The Courier Mail Brisbane Australia 12 Sep 2003 by Hannah Brooks] wrote "despite his formidable overseas reputation, Brentley is relatively unknown in his hometown of Brisbane. But as a poet and founding editor of online literary and art journal Retort Magazine, Frazer has gained an international reputation as one of the most innovative of contemporary writers." In 2001 Brentley founded the cult internet publication 'Retort Magazine'. In 2003 the Columbia Journalism Review and The Guardian UK placed Retort Magazine in their top 10 web based publications of its kind. [http://books.guardian.co.uk/departments/computingandthenet/story/0,6000,951645,00.html] [http://cjrarchives.org/issues/2003/5/alt-reeves.asp] His magazine has created quite an uproar in his native Australia and is read by readers of all walks of life in over 70 countries worldwide. Frazer has opposed many of the Australian government's narrow-minded policies and has fought for the rights of artists in a world of 'semantic-terror' and intolerance. If he is not recognized as a genius in his own country, he is certainly known to be on the cutting edge of post-modern art. "...it is his innate and uncanny observational skills that distinguish his work from the ordinary and allow him to paint...with brush or word or sound...a unique and altered yet truthful perspective of the world...everything indeed appears as nothing more than our individual perception of it...for the most part reality as we know it is a mass hallucination…which probably explains how televisions work..." (Star Jewel Smith, former associate editor of Get Underground.com). In 2004 Brentley relocated from Queensland to the city of Melbourne. In July 2007 Brentley published a new collection of poems and 'microtexts' Memories Like Angels at a Ball Tripping over Their Gowns. In August 2007 Dazed&Confused magazine (Dazed&Confused Australia/New Zealand VOL1#5 pge119 Brentley Frazer:Deeper Underground by Adam Pettet] wrote "through his last 3 collections Frazer has maintained a steady attack upon the politico-economic social hierarchy, while still managing to touch at the heart of modern dislocation' and 'Brentley Frazer may have won critical acclaim in respected literary journals around the world but Australia has never been quite sure of what to do with this Melbourne based Poet who comes across like a 21st century Baudelaire on acid'.

External links

*http://www.brentley.com
*http://www.myspace.com/brentleyfrazer
*http://www.retortmagazine.com
*http://www.identitytheory.com/poetry/smith1.html
*http://www.brisbanewritersfestival.com.au/2003/content/standard_c1.asp?name=Bio_Frazer_Brentley
*http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/wsd/924.htm
*http://www.jackmagazine.com/issue5/poetbfrazer.html
*http://corpse.org/issue_12/allpoetry/frazer.html
*http://www.msstate.edu/fineart_online/Backissues/Vol_16/faf_v16_n12/reviews/frazer.html
*http://www.vibewire.net/create/yonni13524jul02after_the_revolution_a_talk_with_brentley_frazer
*http://www.3ammagazine.com/poetry/2003/feb/coda_envelope.html
*http://www.bigbridge.org/issue9/ozfrazer.htm
*http://www.rattapallax.com/fusebox_02poems.htm