BENEATH OUR ARMOURis unique. This sequence of portrait poems covers vast tracts of history, geography, and personae in a way that is at once intimate and epic. Intimate, because Bakowski imagines his way into the lives of individuals as radically disparate as Cyril Connolly, Diego Rivera, Sylvia Plath, and Elizabeth Smart. Epic, because he transports us from Krakow in Poland, to Old Macau, and onto Bedford Square, London and even Lower Templestowe in Melbourne - and from pitched battles to civilised dinner parties. Beneath Our Armour is an assured and beautifully crafted new book from one of Australia's finest contemporary poets. 'Peter Bakowski makes a major contribution to understanding the human condition, starting with himself, encouraging us to think more deeply and act more compassionately and responsibly. His portraits and travel poems are autobiographical, thoughtful, musical, disturbing.' BARRY JONES Shortlisted for the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2010