For Sam Mifflin Sadie Mifflin Olive Winton and Les Winton with love and gratitude.
I am indebted to several people who kindly made working space available to me during the writing of this book: to Joe Sullivan and the late Peter Bartlett for Spencer’s Cottage; to Leonard Bernstein for the room at Vlihos; and to the Australia Council for the studio in Paris.
Thanks to Erica and Howard Willis for invaluable help, and to Denise Winton for years of hard work.
Some of this story was written with the aid of a fellowship from the Literary Arts Board of the Australia Council and a travelling scholarship from the Marten Bequest in 1987 and 1988.
Shall we gather at the river Where bright angel-feet have trod …