Through war, love affairs, children and old age, the Duracks' creative lives were always shaped by the enduring power of the Kimberley region. With unprecedented access to hundreds of private family letters, unpublished memoirs, diaries and papers, Brenda Niall gets to the heart of a uniquely Australian story.

‘... far better than any novel; an incomparable record of a greart family and of a series of great actions.’ The Bulletin When Patrick Durack left Western Ireland for Australia in 1853, he was to found a pioneering dynasty and build a cattle empire across the great stretches of Australia. With a profound sense of family history, his grand-daughter, Mary Durack, reconstructed the Durack saga - a story of intrepid men and ground-breaking adventure. This sweeping tale of Australia and Australians remains a classic nearly fifty years on.

Art & Life contains extracts from diaries, letters, essays, travelogues and poetry written by Elizabeth Durack (1915-2000) over the course of seven decades. With wit and candour, the writing reveals some of the most important influences and episodes - and the paradox - of her life. Durack read and travelled widely and drew inspiration from many sources: from the men and women she knew; from classical Western and ancient Aboriginal traditions; and from contemporary politics.

This gritty, unflinching philosophical detective novel addresses themes of Aboriginal rights, privilege, and art.