'I want to say a few words about why I'm an outlaw.'

Written in 1878, The Jerilderie Letter is Ned Kelly's own account of his family's persecution and the events that led to his becoming one of the most famous outlaws in history. This is the reverberative document which inspired novelist Peter Carey's highly praised reinvention of the Kelly tale, True History of the Kelly Gang.

'Kelly left his voice for us in his Jerilderie letter. These 120-year-old pages are like Ned's DNA, and for a writer it is a thrilling moment, when you realize you can raise your character from the dead and finally have him speak and walk around.' - Peter Carey