Review of Wild Man of Letters: The Story of P.R. Stephensen by Craig Munro

Abstract

Munro clearly states that his approach is chronological and that he has not aimed at 'a psychological or experimental biography'. He is the first to have had full access to all the Stephensen papers, and he has unearthed a mound of previously unavailable material, including a major find in the Stephensen-D. H. Lawrence letters, so that ample material is presented on which we can base our judgements. His book, apart from its value to students and readers of Australian history, politics and culture, is a major contribution to the history of Australian publishing, and it will hold a strange fascination for any one who has ever been involved in the world of editing here. Writers (and editors) still have their grievances, but to read this book is to see how far we have travelled.