Photos from Alex Miller's personal collection

Max (Moses) Blatt, born in Lubaczów, Poland on 10 February 1907. Max was named after his grandfather, his mother’s father, Moses (Moshe) Landesmann. Max was the first of five children born to Lea and Josef Blatt. It is thought this photo was taken when Max was around twenty years old.

Courtesy of Yossi Blatt and Liat Shoham

Alex at the Bundesarchiv, Berlin Lichterfelde, on 30 September 2014, the day he met Dr Andreas Horn, a crucial moment in the search for Max’s history.

Photograph: Stephanie Miller

Aleksander Gleichgewicht (Olek) with Alex at the site of the New Synagogue, Wroclaw, May 2017.

Photograph: Stephanie Miller

Mount Tavor, October 2018. From left: Ron Sharp, Stephanie Miller, Inese Sharp, Liat Shoham, Alex Miller, Eva Floersheim, Yossi Blatt. Liat organised several excursions—to Mount Tavor, Nazareth, Haifa, Jerusalem, the Sea of Galilee and the Dan River—during our visit.

Photograph: Inese and Ron Sharp

The land of the moshav Shadmot Dvora with Mount Tavor in the distance, October 2018. From left: Liat Shoham, Fiona Harari, Ron Sharp, Inese Sharp, Shiran, Ofer and Oded Shoham (Liat’s daughter-in-law, granddaughter and son), Alex and Stephanie Miller.

Photograph: Inese Sharp

Liat Shoham, niece of Max Blatt, with Alex Miller, at lunch in Jerusalem, October 2018.

Photograph: Stephanie Miller

Stephanie Miller and Liat Shoham entering the Monument to the Children, Yad Vashem, Jerusalem, October 2018.

Photograph: Alex Miller

Alex's father, Alexander McPhee Millar, with Kathy, Alex (with his hand to his eye) and Ruth, about 1940

Alex's family at the beach after Alex had left for Australia. Alexander, Alex's father, Kathy, Ruth, Ross and Winifred, Alex's mother, about 1955

Alex in Queensland, 1953

Max Blatt with Anne Millar, Araluen, New South Wales, about 1971.

After reading one of Alex's pre-novels Max told Alex to 'write about something you love'.

Alex and Anne Neil met in Melbourne and they married in 1961. The marriage failed but Anne remained a close friend to Alex, and to Stephanie, Ross and Kate, until her death from stroke in 2005. Aspects of Anne can be seen in the character of Autumn Laing.

Alex with Ruth Blatt at the launch of The Tivington Nott at the Brunswick Street Bookstore. Alex had failed to find a publisher for the novel in Australia. It was eventually published by Robert Hale in the UK and distributed here. The book won the Braille Book of the Year award. Alex's first Miles Franklin winning novel, The Ancestor Game is dedicated to Ruth and Max Blatt.

Alex with the poet Barrett Reid (left) and the artist Rick Amor at the party held at Alex and Stephanie's home to celebrate the publication of The Ancestor Game in 1992. Barnaby, Autumn's friend in Autumn Laing, is a tribute to Barrett Reid and the studio practice of the artist in The Sitters is based on Alex's knowledge of Rick Amor's studio.

Alex with his wife Stephanie on holiday in Rhodes in 2005. They met in 1975 and have two children Ross (born in 1978) and Kate (born in 1989). Alex says meeting Steph and creating their family made sense of his life.

Alex with his daughter Kate (born in 1989, and the inspiration for Sabiha's longed for daughter in Lovesong), his son Ross (born in 1978) and Ross' partner Erin Ritchie, 2005. Ross and Erin have two daughters, Amelie and Adrienne.

Alex left his family and the constraints of post-war south London at 15 to go to the west country of England where he worked for two years as a farm labourer. His first novel, The Tivington Nott, is based on his experiences there.

Kate Miller with Col McLennan, Frank Budby and Liz Hatte at the Miles Franklin Award won by Alex for Journey to the Stone Country in 2003. Col, Frank and Liz were the inspirations and models for the central characters in Journey to the Stone Country and Landscape of Farewell.

Alex working on the final edits of Autumn Laing, in his study at Castlemaine, June, 2011. The inspiration for the book occurred in London in September 2010. The book was finished in Castlemaine in May 2011.

Liz Hatte at the symposium at the University of Sydney. Alex met Liz at Holmesglen College in 1987 when he was writing Watching the Climbers on the Mountain. Liz became the model for Annabelle in Journey to the Stone Country. She established her business, Northern Archaeology Consultancies, in Townsville in the early 1990s.

Alex at the offices of The Age in 1993 after winning the Miles Franklin Award and the Commonwealth Writers Prize for The Ancestor Game.

A portrait of Alex taken in Brisbane in 1954. His boss at the time, Reg Wells, wrote to Alex's family and sent this photo to them.

Alex's first published novel, Watching the Climbers on the Mountain, was inspired by his years with Reg Wells at Goathland's Station in the central highlands of Queensland.

Frank Budby, Barada Elder at Mount Britton, 2009. Frank is the model for Dougald in Journey to the Stone Country and Landscape of Farewell.

Col McLennan, Jangga Elder, Nebo, 1999. The character of Bo in Journey to the Stone Country was drawn from Alex's experience of travelling with Col in his country.

Alex with Anita Heiss, Li Yiao and Kate Miller, 2007. The character Vita in Journey to the Stone Country was inspired by Alex's meeting Anita at a conference in Hamburg. Professor Li Yiao has translated many of Alex's novels into Chinese. He is currently working on Lovesong.

Professor Robert Dixon with Alex Miller at the symposium, The Novels of Alex Miller, at the University of Sydney, May 13-14, 2011.

Inland from Nebo, on the way to the Stone Country.

Alex with Frank Budby, Nebo

Lake Elphinstone, centre of Frank’s Barrada country