Avant-garde, poet and dramaturge, Christopher Barnett turned the literary and theatre worlds on their heads, and then abruptly left for France where he has lived for the past 20 years and where he has won many followers and admirers including the current prime minister. Barnett lives in Nantes where he works with the poorest and most disenfranchised in the city. A self-imposed exile, what became of one of Australia's most controversial artists of the 1980's is a fascinating and poignant story.