“A life well and fully lived in a time when everything seemed possible, and the world seemed to be becoming more open, adventurous, generous and sensual, with the bonds of community and care supplanting the conformist and materialist individualism of the fifties. OK, it was a dream, but my God what a dream and Michael threw himself into the pursuit of that dream with demonic conviction and energy.” - David Williamson

“A career that is remarkable for how prolific and innovative it has been in so many areas, whether Wilding was working as a short story writer, novelist, critic, editor, commentator, anthologist, or publisher. Few Australian writers have successfully ventured so much and for so long. Moreover, a surprising coherence exists among this variety. Wilding’s work is driven by his political radicalism, which seems as much to do with a probing, sometimes acrid, intelligence, as sentiment. While much of Wilding’s work has an autobiographical kernel, the scope is always broad, and the social and political dimensions of any story are essential elements. Wilding’s is the story of a maverick who worked within an establishment institution, yet was capable of opening his imagination both to the possibilities of academic life and to the more capacious narratives of Australian history, literary history, and contemporary life.” - Peter Pierce, Dictionary of Literary Biography