He's been called the most hated man in Australian politics, an alien from another planet, and describes himself as a "fixer".
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But now Christopher Pyne is preparing to show a different side of himself.
While publicly battling a hostile Senate crossbench to try force through the Abbott government's university reforms, the Education Minister has found time to turn his hand to writing a book.
And it's not what you'd expect from the political brawler.
Rather than a policy-heavy political treatise, Mr Pyne is penning a personal memoir entitled A Letter to My Children.
The prospective author told Fairfax Media the book will be "an explanation to my children of why people choose a life of public service, despite the obvious sacrifices".
It will be "told through the story of my father's life and my own political career so far".
The publicity blurb from Melbourne University Press promises Mr Pyne will explore why "seemingly intelligent men and woman leave their families to spend more than half the year travelling to Canberra, and night after night out at electorate and campaign events? Surely there are easier ways to earn a living?"
Mr Pyne and his wife Carolyn have four children - Eleanor, Barnaby, Felix and Aurelia. His father, Remington Pyne, was a distinguished ophthalmologist who was named South Australian father of the year in 1976.
Though only 47 years old, Mr Pyne entered politics as a fresh-faced 25-year-old way back in 1993.
The book, which is set down to be published by MUP in September, is a rare foray into the world of literature by a conservative politician.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott political manifesto Battlelines, penned after the Howard government lost office, is a recent exception, while South Australian Senator Cory Bernardi is another recent exception to the rule.
In contrast, Labor politicians frequently write books. Three former Labor frontbenchers - ex-prime minister Julia Gillard as well as Wayne Swan and Greg Combet have all written books since the change of government.
Current shadow ministers Chris Bowen and Kim Carr also published books in 2013, and there are more on the way from the Labor side of politics.
Mr Bowen now has another policy-focused book in the works, as do shadow ministerial colleagues Jenny Macklin and Mark Butler.
