One of the most evocative Australian diaries of modern times, this record contains the thoughts and musings of Tim Burstall, the famous film director, writer, and producer best known for the motion picture Alvin Purple. Beginning in the early 1950s, this journal chronicles the world of “arties” and “intellectuals” living in Eltham—then a rural area outside Melbourne—as well as the talk in pubs and studios about art, politics, sex, the Communist party branch meetings, political rallies, and film societies. With an eye for detail and an unerring ear for cant and pomposity, this book offers a behind-the-scenes account of a man eager to become a writer while juggling a public relations job and a few love affairs.