Postscript: Life, Love and Loss in Australian Letters

Discover love, creativity, politics, family and more with historically and culturally significant letters from writers such as Jane Austen, Judith Wright, Henry Lawson, Mem Fox and Senator Neville Bonner AO as well as inspiring new letters from modern Australians like Kate Forsyth, David Brooks, Maggie Mackellar, Ranjana Srivastava, Sam Wallman.

Author Various

Publication Date 01 May 2026

Coming soon

General non-fiction

History

Postscript front cover, a sky-blue triangle comes in from the left, the title and 33 authors noted on left hand side, in the space to the right behind the triangle, is two black and write images, "Life, love and loss in Australian Letter" is at the tip of the blue triangle and between the two black and white images

Pre-order Now

The National Library of Australia holds millions of letters in its collections: love letters, reports on scientific discoveries, impassioned pleas, newsy notes about the week that’s been, responses from politicians to members of the electorate, letters to the editor and more.

We’ve selected some remarkable letters from those millions and passed them on as inspiration to a new set of writers to pen their own.

The original letters may have shaped history, confessed love, covered philosophical quandaries like aging and creative work, or given an insight into someone’s life. The modern letters do the same. By turns moving, funny and challenging, this is a collection of letters that will engage and enlarge your sense of empathy—and may inspire you to pick up the pen yourself.

In the Collection

Black and white image, of a person sitting cross-legged writing, in the background is the railing of a boat deck the ocean beyond it

Women's Cricket Association. (1934). Joy Liebert "Writing an account of our sufferings on board" the S.S. Balranald. http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-148700142