First published 2017
Christina Stead opens her heart through decades of correspondence with fellow writers and editors. Her letters to Stanley Burnshaw, Ettore Rella, Nettie Palmer, Clem Christesen, Elizabeth Harrower, and A.D. Hope reveal an artist grappling with her craft and her convictions. Stead writes from London after her 1928 arrival, then from Europe and America as her political views take shape. She shares her thoughts on literature's purpose and power. The letters follow her marriage to William Blake, their 1953 return to England, and her brief time back in Australia. After Blake's death, Stead continues writing to the friends who sustained her through triumph and loss. These intimate exchanges show how friendship nourished one of Australia's great novelists. Stead admits she was not born to write, yet finds deep satisfaction in the act. Her letters prove that literary relationships can be as vital as the books they inspire.
Genres: biography, literary-fiction, 20th-century, non-fiction, academic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family
Setting: America, Australia, England, Europe, London
Period: 1928, 1953
570 pages · Paperback · The Miegunyah Press