Based on extensive private letters, journals, and diaries, this is the compelling biography of "Australia's most famous historian," Manning Clark. Painting a sweeping portrait of the man who gave Australians the signature account of their own history, this record chronicles Clark's friendships with author Patrick White and artist Sidney Nolan; details his urgent and dynamic marriage, ripped apart at times by Clark's affairs; and reveals his eccentricities-from his writing letters to his dead parents to his flirting with Catholicism despite his doubts. More than just a biography of a brilliant man, this record is a history of 20th century Australia.