Tasmania's Journal of Discovery

a little more

a little more: Celebrating a life of letters
By Margaret Scott and individual contributors
Published by Summerhill Publishing
ISBN 0-9757460-0-6

In essence — to commemorate the awarding of an Emeritus Award from the Australia Council’s Literature Board to Tasman Peninsula-based poet and author Margaret Scott, it was decided to publish an anthology of some of her works, encompassing poetry, prose, after-dinner speeches and magazine articles.

Friends and colleagues were invited to write of their association with Margaret and of how her works and life had affected them, and their responses in prose or poetry are scattered throughout the pages. So indirectly we see the thread of Margaret’s life; the book becomes a multi-layered portrait of not only the artist but also the woman herself.

That’s the bare bones. The only trouble with reviewing this spirited, warm and inviting anthology (no trouble in itself, of course, but a very great delight) is the care with which one must choose words. Or, in other words, what can one say that doesn’t inevitably sound humdrum when faced with Margaret Scott’s lambent prose and famous wit?

That wit abounds throughout a little more and is frequently referred to by the friends and colleagues who wrote tributes to this iconic Tasmanian (for such she is now) writer. There’s no doubt that Margaret is as sharp as a tack, as they say, but — never, that I could see in this selection, and it sounds true for all her works — never caustic or unkind.

In all cases, from gently laughing at her childhood self, to reliving the stresses of moving from her native England and intellectual heart, Cambridge, to the other side of the world (and furthest fringes at that), to seeing the strength and purpose of humanity revealed beneath the overt senselessness of the Port Arthur massacre, she writes with love and understanding of her subject and for the words.

As Tim Thorne, fellow poet who contributed to a little more wrote:

… it is your warmth, Margaret, above all else that’s brought us here in tribute, and the love that you have learned for this island of exile is what we all have read between your lines

I have not met Margaret Scott but I feel I know her, from her own writings in a little more and from the affectionate tributes.

“Clearly one of Australia’s foremost poets … often throwing a startling light on familiar scenes. And that, of course, is the ultimate gift of art.” Author Christopher Koch

“’A marvellous surprise’ is what Margaret finds in the world and gives back to the world through her writing. It is the capacity that enables both wonder and generosity to remain in the face of darkness.” Author Ruth Blair

Clearly engaging:
“…witty, deeply schooled,
Creative to within an inch of her life, and also
Overly generous to her many friends” Poet John Tranter, who wrote an acrostic ‘Tribute to a Tasmanian Tiger’.

And sometimes all too human:
“She was not good at deadlines … Either she had totally forgotten an appointment … or the deadline for the book had come and gone and we were only halfway there. When I would find several logic puzzle books lying around amongst the writings, I knew precisely why she didn’t finish on time.” Trisha Parker, transcriber — Margaret wrote by hand.

I could go on and on, quoting from the tributes and culling memorable passages from Margaret Scott’s poems and essays. I really think the best thing is simply to recommend the book. Let words speak louder than words.

Bethany Roberts