Contributor

David McCooey

About David -

David McCooey is a prize-winning poet, critic and editor. He is also Professor of Writing and Literature at Deakin University.

Articles by David

Vale Les Murray, a witty national poet who spoke to the world

Les Murray’s poetry made us see things anew, writes David McCooey. And although he was associated with the political right, his best poems are everything that a One Nation version of Australia would distrust.

Bob Dylan's Nobel speech: a splendidly eccentric performance

Nobel Prize for Literature winner Bob Dylan has finally given his award speech – but what does it all mean? Professor of Writing and Literature David McCooey suggests it may be the singer’s most Dylanesque performance yet.

Cohen's powers as a performer have always been mesmeric. Photo: Takahiro Kyono / Wikimedia Commons

As a writer-musician, Leonard Cohen was a one-off

Leonard Cohen was a masterful and mesmeric writer and performer whose apparently simple words revealed a profound sense of playfulness and enigma, writes Professor of Writing and Literature David McCooey.