In the following excerpt, Gaile examines Carey's mixture of truth and fiction about one of Australia's most infamous outlaws

'Such is life,' said Ned Kelly on 11 November 1880, before the hangman put the noose around his neck. 'Such is life,' wrote Joseph Furphy in his classic Australian novel roughly two decades later, paying homage to Kelly's famous last words. Over the past 120 years, Kelly's life has intrigued more creative writers, artists, journalists, historians and film-makers than any other historical figure since European settlement. Each publication and recreation of the life of Kelly adds a new layer to the historical mist. The 'true history' becomes more and more inaccessible—with Ned receding into his ironclad armour.

In True History of the Kelly Gang, Carey reinvents the life of the man who can always provoke a passionate public debate, even in the third millennium. Scorned by some as...