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.