'David Malouf is one of the finest writers in contemporary literature. This volume offers a well-balanced, compact selection of his intricately connected work. Short stories, poems, essays, interviews and the classic novel "Johnno", reproduced in full, show the range of his remarkable achievement. "Johnno", his first and most popular work of fiction, has entered the public imagination with its moving evocation of the 1940s and 50s. The novel is here counterbalanced by the wider contexts of David Malouf's poems and short stories. The uncollected essays highlight his brilliance as a literary commentator, and his deep interest in a variety of contemporary issues. James Tulip's introduction provides an indispensable overview of the work of this outstanding author.'  (Publication summary)