From the time when he was a little boy, Patrick White wrote letters - brilliant, gossipy, funny, angry, heartfelt letters. When he died in 1990 at the age of 78, between 2, 500 and 3, 000 of them survived, scattered - and often treasured - all over the world. In the course of producing his much-admired biography of White, David Marr tracked down most of them. Now, with sensitivity and skill, he has assembled a rich selection from the letters to present a fascinating portrait of White in his unihibited words - as a writer, as a friend (or enemy), as a man deeply and painfully engaged with his world.

David Marr grew up in Sydney and trained as a lawyer before becoming a journalist, broadcaster and writer. He is the author of three books; his biography of Patrick White won a number of literary prizes. Marr has produced several notable television documentary reports for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and is now presenter of ABC Radio National's 'Arts Today'.