Böcker av Christina Stead

Surrounded by a family notable for its size, eccentricity and marital irregularities, Letty grows up with one aim - marriage. She learns that social survival depends on winning and keeping a man, and amidst the bustle of New York and London in the 30s and 40s, relentlessly pursues her aim.

Introduction by Hilary McPhee'I am not a born writer, but I must say that when I have actually launched myself I get the profoundest and most passionate satisfaction from writing.'-Christina SteadA Web of Friendship is a collection of Christina Stead's intimate correspondence with influential literary figures such as Stanley Burnshaw, Ettore Rella, Nettie Palmer, Clem Christesen, Elizabeth Harrower and A.D. Hope.These letters span the life of one of Australia's most illustrious writers, offering a rare insight into the relationships that influenced and sustained her work. They reveal Stead's reflections on the art of literature, the development of her political thought, and the significance of a handful of friendships that would endure throughout her life and career.The letters cover Stead's arrival in England in 1928, as well as her time abroad in Europe and the United States. They also detail her marriage to William Blake, their life in England where they settled in 1953, as well as her brief return to Australia and her final years in England following Blake's death.

A study of politics and betrayal in the lives of the Cotter familyIntroduction by Michelle de KretserCotters' England follows the lives of Nellie Cook, sister Peggy Cotter and brother Tom. Set in post-war England, it is a study of politics and betrayal in Nellie's professional and personal life. It is a story of smothered aspirations and dashed hopes, as class politics trap the Cotters and stifle their attempts to break free from the boundaries of the working- and middle-classes.The book is also an exploration of love and sexuality. An undercurrent of incestuous flirtation and a lesbian affair add further strain to Nellie's relationships with family and friends, driving one of them to suicide. By the renowned author of The Man Who Loved Children, this is the first Stead work to be set wholly in England. It weaves a strange and compelling story that explores the limits of class, politics, lust and passion.

Introduction by Delia FalconerOriginally published in 1934, Seven Poor Men of Sydney is Christina Stead's first novel, a brilliant portrayal of a group of men and women living in Sydney in the 1920s amid conditions of poverty and social turmoil.Set against the vividly drawn backgrounds of Fisherman's (Watson's) Bay and the innercity slums, the various characters seek to resolve their individual spiritual dilemmas through politics, religion and philosophy.Their struggles, their pain and their frustrations are portrayed with consummate skill in this memorable evocation of a city and an era.

Set in Sydney and London in the 1930s, 'For Love Alone' is the story of Teresa Hawkins, an intelligent, ardent young woman, and her search for the ideal passion of love.

Letty Fox talks us through her search for marital bliss in 1930s New York and London.