Cirrus@Austlit

'The opening page of "A Misfit in Souls", an unpublished novel by Norman Lindsay, bares the author's black-inked scrawl: "Dear Keith, possibly you will remain as the only reader of this cheerful and irresponsible little fantasy." So judicious in his depictions of Australiana, Lindsay, on this count at least, will soon be proved wrong. While there are no plans yet to publish the completed draft work, replete with pen-and-ink drawings and dedicated to his friend Keith Wingrove, for the first time the book will be made publicly available next week by the University of Technology, Sydney. The undated work is one of 900 items acquired by the university's library last year in an auction of the Australian artist and author's work. The collection will be officially launched next week. The library paid $320,000 for the collection, which belonged to artist and author James Kemsley and is being promoted as the most significant and extensive literary cache of Lindsay's work.' Tim Douglas.