Good for the Soul: John Curtin's Life with Poetry: By Toby Davidson. Although the sources for this argument are less plentiful than those made in relation to Curtin's political career, Davidson traces the importance of poetry at key points of Curtin's life. Davidson shows that poetic allusions were not uncommon in 1940s political rhetoric, that Curtin fostered the publication of poetry, and that many citizens responded to his wartime speeches by sending him their own poems. [Extracted from the article]