First Things First

I've always said I will write anywhere. You could throw me into prison, cut off my arms and legs and you will find me in the morning with a pen in my mouth writing on the floor.

Collected here for the first time are selected letters from the private correspondence of one of Australia's most loved authors, Kate Llewellyn (The Waterlily, A Fig at the Gate). Written with her distinctive ardour and enthusiasm, skipping some words, shortening others, she discusses poetry, art, sex and gardening with painters and writers.

Kate Llewellyn's letters brim with energy and humour. Editors Ruth Bacchus and Barbara Hill have sifted through decades of correspondence to produce a volume which reveals her life and work, and the result is a joy to read: a precious insight into the world of one of this country's master wordsmiths.