Jonathan Persse (Ed.): Letters Lifted into Poetry. National Library of Australia, Canberra 2006.
	THE BLURB The National Library of Australia’s latest publication Letters Lifted into Poetry: Selected Correspondence between David Campbell and Douglas Stewart, 1946–1979 is a quiet achiever. It showcases more than 40 years’ correspondence between two of Australia’s greatest poets: David Campbell and Douglas Stewart, and how parts of this correspondence have been transposed into their poetry. The writers’ original documents, held in the National Library’s Manuscripts Collection, have been brought to life for the first time in this revealing publication by editor Jonathan Persse. The letters passing back and forth between the two men talk of life, poetry, publishing, friends and professional acquaintances—including Judith Wright, Norman Lindsay, R.D. Fitzgerald, A.D. Hope, Rosemary Dobson and Francis Webb—as well as the men’s shared love of fishing. In Douglas Stewart’s last letter to his dying friend David Campbell (dated June 1979), he recalled their correspondence, commenting that: ‘Whatever happened to be outside [your] window, or seen in a morning’s walk...lifted a letter into poetry.’ Letters Lifted into Poetry movingly documents a great Australian literary friendship and provides a lively window into both men’s writing at a time when letter writing was a regular form of communication. I could not have put it any better than Susan Grigson, the author of above blurb. In times of electronic mail and instant messaging this beautiful book celebrating the art of letter writing is most welcome.
Reviewed by Gerald Ganglbauer, 20 November 2006