Cirrus@Austlit

'‘I fancy Malcolm [Turnbull] is like the big red bunger. You’re lighting up, there’s a bit of a fizz, then nothing. Nothing.’

'An updated, gift edition of the bestselling The Book of Paul, presenting the one and only Mr Paul Keating – at his straight-shooting, scumbag-calling, merciless best.

'Paul lets rip – on John Howard: ‘The little desiccated coconut is under pressure and he is attacking anything he can get his hands on.’

'On Peter Costello: ‘The thing about poor old Costello is he is all tip and no iceberg.’

'On John Hewson: ‘[His performance] is like being flogged with a warm lettuce.’

'On Tony Abbott: ‘If Tony Abbott ends up the prime minister of Australia, you’ve got to say, God help us.’

'And that’s just a taste.' (Publication summary)

'Books of speeches are rarely published as a compendium of work by one person. After Words is unique in Australian publishing by virtue of its scale and range of subjects, and that all the speeches are the work of one eye and one mind: former Prime Minister Paul Keating. Each speech has been conceptualised, contextualised and crafted by Paul Keating. Subject to subject, idea to idea, the speeches are related in a wider construct, which is the way Paul Keating has viewed and thought about the world.

'The speeches reveal the breadth and depth of his interests - be they cultural, historical, or policy-focused - dealing with subjects as broad as international relations, economic policy and politics. Individual chapters range from a discussion of Jorn Utzon's Opera House through to the redesign of Berlin, the history of native title, the challenge of Asia, the role of the monarchy, to the shape of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 2, and more.

'After Words contains an analytic commentary on Australia's recent social and economic repositioning, in the minds of many, by its principal architect. The speeches, more often than not, go beyond observations, as Paul Keating sketches out new vistas and points to new directions. For those interested in matters that go to the future of Australia and the world, After Words presents, unmediated, a panoply of issues which the policy mind and writing style of Paul Keating has sculpted into a recognisable landscape.' (From the publisher's website.)

'So far, Paul Keating is the only Australian Prime Minister to provide star material for a musical comedy. Who can imagine any of the others doing that?

'Even before he became Prime Minister, Keating had made a name for himself as someone who could dominate Parliament with his rapid and cutting ripostes. By the time he did reach the top office, there were already book length collections of his insults and invective. Even the Liberal Party, apparently, was keeping a list. Nobody was safe, not even people on his own side of politics. Ask 'Old Silver'. In this book, Brian Carroll has found and arranged enough of Keating's utterances to keep you chuckling (or clucking your tongue) for a long time.

'The book begins with a short biography of Keating, just to put it all in context. Then there's a long parade of his wit, leavened with a certain amount of his wisdom, of which there was plenty, but which too often tends to be overlooked. Being rejected by the electors did not stop him, and the book contains examples of his wit and wisdom right up to the end of 2009. As one observer put it, he brought a breath of fresh air to the wasteland of weasel words we endure.

'And for those who have not seen Keating! The Musical, and even for those who have, there's a chapter on how the show came to be and what it's all about.' (From the publisher's website.)