Journey to the End of Time. Writing and memoir, artists and friends

A deeply personal collection of stories, essays and poems from award-winning author Alex Miller's six-decade writing life.

'The ethos that shines through this remarkable collection is, to quote Simone de Beauvoir, one of "devotion to individuals, to groups or to causes, […] and to intellectual and creative work". I strongly recommend it.' The Conversation

Robust, textured and fascinating, this collection of short stories, memoir, journal entries, essays and poems, Journey to the End of Time, spans decades of Alex Miller's life. The collection opens with a moving depiction of Miller's father leaving for war and closes with the final words of a poem written in 2023: when, eventually, after long labours the voice of the story falls silent and the work is laid aside, then I am alone once again, returned to the timeless solitude, the simplicity of my beginning

Each story is written in response to a significant event in Miller's life. His discerning writing engages with the works of prominent authors and artists, many of them longstanding friends, including Janine Burke, Jacob Rosenberg, Jim Davidson, Rick Amor, Sidney Nolan, John Wolseley and Emily Kame Kngwarreye, each of whom have deepened the richness of Australian cultural life.

Miller explores the process of writing and the sources of his inspiration, saying, 'From early childhood I had been a storyteller, but as an adult it took me a long time to find my material as a story writer.' Journey to the End of Time forms a companion volume to The Simplest Words and A Kind of Confession, the three volumes together constructing an intimate narrative of Alex Miller's life writing works of quiet power and beauty. His wisdom and experience shine in this rewarding anthology.

'A fascinating, moving account of the cost of commitment to writing, of the process, the disappointments, the sheer slog of it, the rejections, and the human buttresses who held Miller firm at his desk.' Morag Fraser, Sydney Morning Herald

'This book radiates the compressed skill of Miller's long and successful career. It's a tale about love, beauty and belonging.' Christine Kearney, Canberra Times

'Lively and thought-provoking ... with complex depths.' Brigid Rooney, The Conversation