A Thousand Pictures: Lucien Simon Interviews Dorothy Porter and Anne Kennedy

In 1994, Dorothy Porter's verse novel The Monkey's Mask was released. The book was a surprise success, promptly entering the bestsellers list, winning The Age poetry book of the year and receiving the national council 'Banjo' for poetry. When The Monkey's Mask was released overseas, it was met with the same enthusiasm, even nominated by The Times as one of the books of the year (1997). The Monkey's Mask has been seen as a kind of saviour of Australian poetry, generating new interest in the medium from the public. This cross-genre detective lesbian thriller amazed all with its commercial success.