The popular image of Vincent van Gogh as the tortured, untutored genius who transformed modern painting is a central part of the mythology surrounding him. Vincent Alessis study convincingly argues that van Gogh never set out to be a tortured genius but rather an illustrator for popular magazines. He was an enthusiastic collector of prints and engravings from English magazines such as the Illustrated London News and much of his time during his three-year stay in London in the 1870s was dedicated to the disciplined study of these prints, from which he learned draughtsmanship. He also read George Eliot and Dickens in English, all big influences on his early social realist style. Of course, its the later French works that made him, but this is a very engaging and informative academic portrait of the evolution of van Gogh: the wild priest of high art whose grounding was in the popular art of the day.

How I Clawed My Way to the MiddleJohn WoodViking, $34.99

How I Clawed My Way To The Middle by John Wood.

Reading John Woods memoir, about his long career in TV and theatre, its impossible not to hear that familiar voice. Its a great title and captures the down-to-earth tone of the tale, which starts in the suburbs of Melbourne just after the war, taking in a chequered school record, work in the Victorian Railways, as a bricklayer, the abattoirs his father worked in and on to theatre. In some ways its the story of a working-class boy made good, helped along the way by figures such as John and Lois Ellis who encouraged him to apply for NIDA. From there doors on stage and TV gradually opened and he eventually became a household face and name, at one point noting that TV fame is odd in that people really do think they know you when they meet you in public. Hes an amusing writer he wrote On Yer Marx! and for TV and this is a very engaging read, while also being a snapshot of Australian drama through pivotal years.

Dissenting Opinions by Michael Sexton.

Dissenting OpinionsMichael SextonConnor Court, $39.95

This is an aptly titled collection of newspaper articles and book reviews published over the past 10 years, incorporating a wide range of views on a variety of topics Michael Sexton often, as in his views on ''political correctness'', at odds with more progressive views. At the same time he is the author of War for the Asking, about Australia and the Vietnam war, one of his articles highlighting Menzies Machiavellian role in ensnaring us in the conflict, rightly calling it a ''stain on his record''. Similarly, he lays into Malcolm Fraser and his role in the 1975 dismissal, saying Fraser "was responsible for the most cynical and unscrupulous exercise in Australian political history". On the other hand his views on the Brexit vote and the perceived faint-heartedness of literary festivals when it comes to dissenting opinions, may ruffle feathers. Forthright opinion pieces from a commentator who clearly goes his own way.

View post:

Non-fiction reviews: Play By The Rules and other titles - Sydney Morning Herald