'Inside Out' is an extraordinary autobiography by one of Australia's most significant contemporary poets. It traces the wild trajectory of a talented young man in and out of prison.
Adamson gives a spellbinding account of growing up in the Neutral Bay area in the 1950s poor, dyslexic, restless and irrepressibly creative. At the age of about twelve, his fascination with nature led him to steal an exotic bird from its cage at Taronga Zoo. This was among many ingenious and haphazard crimes. As his lawless behaviour grew wilder, Adamson spent increasing periods in detention. Between bouts inside he stole cars and yet more birds (as well as poaching fish), fell in love with the wild, rebellious Carol, became a pastry cook, travelled around the country and worked on a production line.
In prison there were times of terrible darkness, but in that dehumanising world he found books, debating, encyclopaedias, music and poetry.
An unforgettable account of a life lived inside and out of institutions, and of an indomitable spirit and imagination.
