'The figures of the Heide circle have attained the status of myth and legend, and as such they are available for reimagining, just as Ned Kelly was for Sidney Nolan. That is one of the implicit claims, and achievements, of this extremely ambitious work of social and art history as poetry. Heide is a long, composite work made up of 219 separate poems, many of which are themselves series of poems. It is also the final volume of what is now revealed to be a trilogy, one that adds up to just over 2000 pages (and weighs in at a challenging 2.5kg).' (Introduction)