Patrick White, despite his wishes for his letters to be destroyed, has a significant portion of his correspondence preserved. About three thousand letters survived, granting David Marr, White's biographer, the ability to weave a detailed tapestry of the author's life through around six hundred selected letters. These letters, enriched by Marr's insightful commentary, offer a window into White's multifaceted world, spanning personal, artistic, and political realms.

An Invaluable Trove of Letters

Though White had urged his correspondents to discard his letters, many chose to preserve them. David Marr, tasked with writing White's authorized biography, accessed around three thousand of these letters. From this extensive collection, he selected approximately six hundred letters, which he included with some editorial cuts. These letters were addressed to a broad spectrum of individuals, including publishers, agents, fellow writers and artists, politicians, as well as family members and lovers. The topics within this correspondence are diverse, revealing many facets of White's life. With the addition of diary excerpts from White's time in World War II, Marr's editorial work helps to fill chronological gaps and situates the letters within their proper literary, political, and personal contexts. Marr also compiled a "Cast of Correspondents," providing further insights into the people involved.

Literary Insights and Personal Reflections

For literary critics, the letters may seem sparse in commentary regarding the meanings of White's works. This is largely due to White's resistance to having his works analyzed by critics and his belief in intuition over analysis. Marr provides some interpretive insights by linking White's life experiences to his fiction, supporting White's own assertion that his writing is deeply personal. While the letters offer limited direct interpretations, they paint a vivid picture of White himself. He emerges as a private figure, a writer and editor driven by compulsion, a passionate music lover and art enthusiast, a political leftist, and a devoted letter writer, dedicated to his correspondence, especially on Sundays.

The Man Behind the Letters

White's letters reveal his ongoing struggles with publishing, the complexities of bringing his plays to the stage, and his contentious relationship with the Australian literary community. This community often favored the more sociable and amiable Thomas Keneally, a preference that White found challenging. His letters also reveal his fluctuating opinions, a trait he humorously acknowledged by describing himself as having a "double personality." Through the selected letters, Marr successfully captures the essence of White's multifaceted personality.

Recommended Reading and Reviews

• Chicago Tribune. July 17, 1996, V, p. 3.
• The Economist. CCCXXXIV, February 18, 1995, p. 88.
• Library Journal. CXXI, June 15, 1996, p. 66.
• London Review of Books. XVII, June 22, 1995, p. 18.
• The New York Times Book Review. CI, July 21, 1996, p. 10.
• Publishers Weekly. CCXLIII, April 1, 1996, p. 60.
• Quadrant. XXXIX, March, 1995, p. 79.
• The Spectator. CCLXXIV, January 21, 1995, p. 41.
• The Times Literary Supplement. March 3, 1995, p. 23.
• World Literature Today. LXIX, Summer, 1995, p. 642.