Heart of James McAuley / Peter Coleman

The Heart of James McAuley examines the work of the famous poet, editor, critic, and political thinker. It places the poetry in its biographical context from his anarchistic and avant-garde youth to the libertarian conservative and Catholic convert of later years. It takes a new look at the great Ern Malley hoax, his profound essays on the decolonization of New Guinea, his association with such major figures as B.A.Santamaria and Sir John Kerr, his involvement with the Industrial Groups in the ALP and with the DLP, his founding of the magazine Quadrant, and his response to a number of controversies from the CIA scandals to the New Left assaults on the universities. No other biography of McAuley encompasses all the wide-ranging activities of this great poet.