In a letterof reply to Dr R. R. Pilkington of Glenhuntly, Victoria, dated 17 September 1954, Mackenzie confesses 'there is no Michael Paul's Anatomy of Failure though there was a Michael Paul. He was a Sydney artist...' Mackenzie goes on to explain that he simply liked the name, 'so I used it; and the Anatomy of Failure was written by me, since I've used it for quotation for every novel I've written.' Mackenzie asks Dr Pilkington to 'please treat the matter with reasonable confidence and secrecy.'
(Source: Letter held in the Mitchell Library, Sydney.)
'Today (August 5) marks the 75th anniversary of Australia’s largest prison escape: the Cowra breakout, in New South Wales, during the second world war. In fact, it is one of the largest prison escapes in world history, but unless you are a keen war historian you may have never heard about it.' (Introduction)
