Vicki Viidikas: Contents page

Vicki Viidikas (1948–98) was born in Sydney; her father was Estonian, her mother Australian. She left school early and soon became involved in the poetry scene in and around Balmain in the late 1960s. Her experiences in the underworld of dope and sex in Sydney and Asia are the materials of much of her poetry, and her emotional reactions are the main focus of her verse. Her first book Condition Red (UQP Paperback Poets, 1973) had many strong poems in it, particularly four prose poems at the back of the book, and her collection of prose pieces, Wrappings (1974, and reprinted as a paperback in 1976) is one of the most interesting books of the decade.