In 2006, the posthumously-published works of little known poet Jason Silver caused a minor sensation on the Adelaide literary scene. His surreal, image-laden writings offered a raw, confronting portrait of his struggle with bipolar disorder – the illness which, many said, also drove his creativity.
Sensation turned to scandal when a hapless biographer accidentally unearthed the truth: there was no Jason Silver. He was the fictional creation of three living poets – Pete Lind, Shannon Woodford and Angie Rawkins, also known as the Red Lion Poets. The Jason Silver poems were thereafter disregarded as meaningless twaddle, as were all of the Red Lions’ other writings…
Inspired by the Ern Malley affair, Sound and Bundy takes a new approach to the verse novel format. Presenting the works of four fictional poets in anthology form, it invites readers to draw together disparate accounts and to create their own conclusions as to what “really” happened.
