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by Boomert - Killing the Black Dog by Les Murray 12 Jan 2010
Killing the Black Dog was first published in 1997, comprising the eponymous essay and a short anthology of poems. In the autobiographical essay, Murray analysed the acute depression of his 50s-- what he dubbed his ‘boiling black kelp’--as both chemical and situational, before bidding it what he thought was a final goodbye. This new edition adds new poems, using cut-throat imagery to explore the narrative of mental illness, plus a coda noting that depression did, after all, creep back into Murray’s life, reminding him ‘who still owned the game’. Throughout, Murray writes with poignancy and candour, merciless to himself while also jabbing at his usual left-wing and institutional targets. There’s an implicit invitation to read his furious neo-liberalism as symptomatic of mild autism, early trauma and lifelong depressive tendencies and, concurrently, to pity the poor bugger for his grinding melancholic nightmare. Murray might not appreciate either response, but there’s no controlling the reception of a work of such rigour and honesty. This insightful book belongs on both poetry and self-help shelves-- it offers introspection, information and hope. As the poem ‘Panic Attack’ promises, ‘In time, your hourglass will be reversed again’.

This review from Australian Bookseller & Publisher magazine (October 2009, Vol 89, No. 3) is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2009, Thorpe-Bowker.

Author Biography: Les A. Murray
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