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Product Description
The remarkable true stories in The Boy Behind the Curtain reveal an intimate and rare view of Tim Winton’s imagination at work and play.
A chronicler of sudden turnings, brutal revelations and tender sideswipes, Tim Winton has always been in the business of trouble. In his novels chaos waits in the wings and ordinary people are ambushed by events and emotions beyond their control. But as these extraordinarily powerful memoirs show, the abrupt and the headlong are old familiars to the author himself, for in many ways his has been a life shaped by havoc.
In The Boy Behind the Curtain Winton reflects on the accidents, traumatic and serendipitous, that have influenced his view of life and fuelled his distinctive artistic vision. On the unexpected links between car crashes and religious faith, between surfing and writing, and how going to the wrong movie at the age of eight opened him up to a life of the imagination. And in essays on class, fundamentalism, asylum seekers, guns and the natural world he reveals not only the incidents and concerns that have made him the much-loved writer he is, but some of what unites the life and the work.
By turns impassioned, funny, joyous, astonishing, this is Winton’s most personal book to date, an insight into the man who’s held us enthralled for three decades and helped us reshape our view of ourselves. Behind it all, from risk-taking youth to surprise-averse middle age, has been the crazy punt of staking everything on becoming a writer.
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
by PowerReviews(based on 4 reviews)
Ratings Distribution
100%
of respondents would recommend this to a friend.
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Reviewed by 4 customers
Displaying reviews 1-4
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Best Uses
A series of commentaries about life as a writer, as an activist, being different, family, and Australian life. While some of the chapters have been previously published I enjoyed reading them again. Tim takes such care with his phrases and characters and observations and I will continue reading everything he publishes.
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I can't wait for his next novel:)
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The usual great writing that only comes from our own great storyteller Tim Winton. Using just the right words he creates word pictures that take you to where he wants you to be and it is so easy to see and feel what he is seeing and feeling. But more than that you are able to feel create your own images as well. as the story unfolds. Even though the author is the boy behind the curtain you feel like you are the person behind the boy behind the curtain. Master story telling.
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Such a refreshing group of biographical stories
Displaying reviews 1-4
The pre-eminent Australian novelist of his generation, Tim’s literary
reputation was established early when his first novel, An Open Swimmer,
won the 1981 Australian Vogel Award; his second novel Shallows, won the
Miles Franklin Award in 1984; and his third book, Scission, a
collection of short stories, won the West Australian Council Literary
Award in 1985.
That Eye the Sky was adapted for the stage by Justin Monjo and Richard
Roxburgh, and also made into a film. A second film adaptation was made
of In the Winter Dark, featuring Brenda Blethyn.
Tim’s fifth novel, Cloudstreet, the story of two working-class families
rebuilding their lives, was a huge literary and commercial success. It
has been a best seller since its publication in 1991 and was recently
voted the most popular Australian novel by the Australian Society of
Authors. Awards include National Book Council Banjo Award for Fiction,
1991; West Australian Fiction Award 1991; Deo Gloria Award (UK), 1991
and the 1992 Miles Franklin Award.
Cloudstreet, was adapted for the stage by Nick Enright and Justin
Monjo, and played to sell-out houses around Australia and in Zurich,
London and Dublin in 1999. It toured internationally again in 2001,
playing in London, New York and Washington. Film rights have been
bought by Cloudstreet Inc. (USA).
Tim’s 1995 novel The Riders was shortlisted for the prestigious Booker
Prize and has been translated into numerous languages including French,
German, Italian, Danish, Dutch, Polish, Greek and Hebrew.
His books for children and teenagers include the series of three books
about the 13 year old Lockie Leonard. The first book in the series,
Lockie Leonard, Human Torpedo, won the Western Australia Premier's
Award for Children's Fiction. It was adapted for the stage by Paige
Gibbs and toured nationally with great success. Lockie Leonard, Legend,
the most recent in the series, won the Family Award for Children’s
Literature. The books are being made into a television series by RB
Films.
In 2001 Tim’s novel, Dirt Music, was published to considerable critical
acclaim and impressive reviews. The book was shortlisted for the 2002
Mann Booker Prize and won the 2002 Miles Franklin Award, the West
Australian Fiction Award and the Christina Stead Award for Fiction.
Film rights have been optioned to Phil Noyce’s film company, Rumbalara
Films, and Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz are signed to star in the
film.
The Turning, published in 2004, was described as At once exquisite and
unsettling, brimming with imagery so lush and observations so precise
the book is almost incandescent (The Bulletin). The Turning was
shortlisted for the Frank O’Connor Short Story Award and won the
Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, the Queensland Fiction Book Award
and the Colin Roderick Award.
His new novel, Breath, was published by Penguin Books Australia,
Picador United Kingdom, Farrar Straus Giroux USA, Harper Collins
Canada, de Gues in the Netherlands, Luchterland Germany and Editions
Rivages Payot France in 2008.
Breath was awarded the 2009 Miles Franklin Prize for Literature.
Tim Winton is patron of the Tim Winton Award for Young Writers
sponsored by the City of Subiaco, Western Australia. Active in the
environmental movement in Australia, he was awarded the Centenary Medal
for service to literature and the community. He is also the patron of
the Australian Marine Conservation Society and the Stop the Toad
Foundation and is active in many of their campaigns. He has recently
contributed to the whaling debate with an article published on The Last
Whale website. He lives in Western Australia with his wife and three
children.
Awards
Winner - 2003 Australian Society of Authors Medal
For Adults:
Breath
Winner - 2009 Miles Franklin Award
Winner - 2008 Age Book of the Year Fiction Award
Winner - 2008 Indie Award
Shortlisted - 2009 Commonwealth Writers' Prize, South East Asia and
the South Pacific Region
Shortlisted - 2009 New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards,
Christina Stead Prize
The Turning
Shortlisted - 2005 Inaugural Frank O'Connor International Short
Story Award
Commended - 2005 Commonwealth Writers' Prize, South East Asia and
South Pacific Region, Best Book
Winner - 2005 Queensland Premier's Literary Award, Best Fiction Book
Winner - 2005 New South Wales Premier's Literary Award, Christina
Stead Prize
Joint Winner - 2004 Colin Roderick Award
Dirt Music
Shortlisted - 2002 Man Booker Prize
Shortlisted - 2002 Kiriyama Prize
Winner - 2002 Miles Franklin Award
Winner - 2002 New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, Christina
Stead Prize
Winner - 2001 Western Australian Premier's Book Award - Book of the
Year
Winner - 2001 Western Australian Premier's Book Award - Fiction
Winner - 2001 Good Reading Award - Readers Choice Book of the Year
Winner - 2001 Australian Booksellers Association Book of the Year
Award
The Riders
Shortlisted - 1995 Booker Prize
Winner - 1995 Commonwealth Writers Prize, South East Asia and South
Pacific Region
Cloudstreet
Winner - 1992 Deo Gloria Award
Winner - 1991 NBC Banjo Award for Literature
Winner -1991 Miles Franklin Award
Joint Winner - 1991 Western Australia Premier's Book Award - Fiction
Minimum of Two and Other Stories
Winner - 1988 Western Australian Premier's Book Award - Fiction
Scission and Other Stories
Joint Winner - 1985 Western Australian Premier's Book Award - Fiction
Winner - 1985 Western Australian Council Literary Award
Shallows
Winner - 1984 Miles Franklin Literary Award
Joint Winner - 1985 Western Australian Premier's Book Award - Fiction
An Open Swimmer
Winner - 1981 Australian/Vogel National Literary Award
For Children and Young Adults:
Lockie Leonard, Legend
Winner - 1998 Family Award for Children's Literature
Blueback
Winner - 1998 Bolinda Audio Book Awards
Winner - 1998 Wilderness Society Environment Award
Winner - 1999 WAYRBA Hoffman Award for Young Readers
Lockie Leonard, Scumbuster
Winner - 1993 Wilderness Society Environment Award
The Buglalugs Bum Thief
Winner - 1994 CROW Award (Children Reading Outstanding Writers):
Focus list (Years 3-5)
Winner - 1998 YABBA Awards: Fiction for Younger Readers
Lockie Leonard, Human Torpedo
Winner - 1993 American Library Association Best Book for Young
Adults Award
Winner - 1996 YABBA Awards: Fiction for Older Readers
Joint winner - 1991 Western Australian Premier's Book Award:
Children's Book
Jesse
Winner - 1990 Western Australian Premier's Book Award: Children's
Book
ISBN: 9781926428765
ISBN-10: 1926428765
Audience:
General
Format:
Hardcover
Language:
English
Number Of Pages: 320
Published: 3rd October 2016
Country of Publication: AU
Dimensions (cm): 24.1 x 16.5
x 3.9
Weight (kg): 24.1
Edition Number: 1
