The Poet of Suburbia In 1930, the world welcomed a personality who during the course of his remarkable life, revolutionised and helped shape or develop the meaning and world of poetry. He was born in Geelong, Victoria and lived an early life that lacked direction and unveiled very little promise as a writer. However, despite what his earlier years may have shown, he stands today as one of the biggest selling, highly regarded and most influential of Australian poets. And yet again, successful composers have proven to the world of literature that there is no need for an extended education to master the art of writing. Aiding in his success was his ability to capture the human experience with the timeless and universal themes that are implicit in his texts. Whilst Shakespeare was able to find universal human qualities in individuals with high hierarchical status such as Kings, dukes and other noblemen, the ‘Poet of Suburbia’ is a unique writer in that his work explicitly encapsulates the Australian way of life; he writes about the ordinary suburban citizen. “Bruce Dawe is the poet of Australia and the poet of the people. His poems effectively reveal many facets of Australian life.” Not only does this statement allude to Dawe’s work with the Australian poetic tradition, but it also informs the reader about his individual understanding of Australian life which accounts for his distinctive connection with the ordinary Australian. This essay will discuss this poet’s work with Australian poetry and will also prove the truth of the above statement with reference to three of his most popular poems: Life Cycle, Homo Suburbiensis and Drifters. Bruce Dawe lived with a family of farming backgrounds and like all of his siblings, he did not have the opportunity to complete primary school. Out of four siblings however, he was the only one to attend secondary school. His