Thanks to Sheila Fitzpatrick for writing this portrait of a friendship (ABR, April 2024). Katerina Clark was the examiner of my PhD thesis on Mikhail Bakhtin and Russian drama and theatre when I was studying at the Australian National University. Like Fitzpatrick and Clark, I lived and studied in Soviet Russia for more than nine years (1969-78). Clark’s biography of Bakhtin, co-authored with Michael Holquist, is wonderful. Ogromnoe vam sposibo, as they say in Russian.

Subhash Jaireth

The spirit of J.S. Bach

Dear Editor,

My, what a marvellous review of a memorable, spirit-filled performance by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra of St John’s Passion (ABR Arts, March 2024). This sort of multi- layered, perceptive, and generous writing does justice to the genius of Bach’s music and to the artistic depth of the interpretation. Thank you, Morag Fraser.

Paul Jones

Nam Le

Dear Editor,

36 Ways of Writing a Vietnamese Poem is a poetry of ideas, with poetic tools. It is about the violence of language and identity. My experience of Nam Le’s poetry is very different from that of Michael Hofmann in his review (ABR, April 2024). I see it as an opportunity to reflect on the truths within. So much of English others the other, to erase the other.

Anne Eagar

Men’s talk

Dear Editor,

A response to Anders Villani’s poem ‘Calm Voice’ (ABR, April 2024). I belong to an international Book Club called the Tough Guys Book Club. In essence, it is simply a men’s book club with a central organising body. For some reason, when men gather to talk about books it is framed as a mental health support group, whereas every other non-gendered book club is simply a discussion and friendship group for book lovers. This is at once frustrating and powerfully revealing concerning the challenges of communication between men who perhaps simply have little training in how to do meaningful talk.

Patrick Hockey

Journalism poems galore

Dear Editor,

In response to Des Cowley’s review of Kent MacCarter’s Fat Chance, π.O. has been writing journalism poems for decades (ABR, April 2024).

Duncan Hose