Literary Kelly
Ned Kelly's letters are the closest we come to the mind behind the mask
and have provided valuable inspiration for works of literature created
by Australian writers. The letter to Sergeant Babington, dated 28 July
1870, is a unique example of Ned Kelly's own hand, and will be exhibited
alongside the famous 'Cameron' and 'Jerilderie' Letters. In November 2000,
the noted Kelly historian Ian Jones secured ownership of the Jerilderie
Letter for the State Library of Victoria through an extraordinarily generous
anonymous donation. Original manuscript material by Robert Drewe and Peter
Carey, together with a video interview with Carey, reveal the importance
of the Jerilderie and Cameron Letters as sources for their work. Robert
Drewe's novel Our Sunshine has in turn acted as the inspiration
for Paul Kelly's song of the same title and the new feature film Ned
Kelly directed by Gregor Jordan.
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