Graham Freudenberg has led an amazing life and A Figure of Speech is his life, in his own words. From a young boy growing up in Brisbane, to his time as a speech writer from Calwell to Carr, this book will look at those legendary people; friends and foes he has influenced. From his campaigns working on speeches for Gough Whitlam and more recently, for Bob Carr, A Figure of Speech is a landmark book tracing the political and social history of post war Australia through the words of Australia's most prolific political wordsmith.