This is a biography and major critical appraisal of Peter Porter, one of Australia's most distinguished and influential writers. Resident in London since the early 1950s, Porter is one of the leading Oxford poets. His Collected Works was awarded the Duff Cooper Memorial Prize in 1983, and The Automatic Oracle won the Whitbread Prize for Poetry in 1988. In addition, Porter has written plays and been a tireless literary, opera and cinema critic. Examining the influence of his nationality and his move to Britain on his life, work and literary methods, this study also considers his relationships with such notable figures as Clive James, D.J.Enright and Gavin Ewart.