Dirt Music
 First edition cover | |
| Author | Tim Winton |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Picador |
Publication date | 2001 |
| Publication place | Australia |
| Pages | 465 |
| ISBN | 0-330-36323-9 |
| OCLC | 48561064 |
| 823/.914 22 | |
| LC Class | PR9619.3.W585 D57 2001 |
Dirt Music by multi-award winning author Tim Winton is a Booker prize shortlisted novel from 2001 and winner of the 2002 Miles Franklin Award. The harsh, unyielding climate of Western Australia dominates the actions and events of this thriller.
Plot summary
Georgie, the heroine of the book, becomes fascinated in watching a stranger attempting to poach fish in an area where nobody can maintain secrets for very long; disillusioned with her relationship with the local fisherman legend Jim Buckridge, she contrives a meeting with the stranger and soon passion runs out of control between two bruised and emotionally fragile people.
The secret quickly becomes impossible to hide and Jim wants revenge, whilst the poacher hikes north via Wittenoom (out of respect for his father who died of mesothelioma in the town) and Broome to an island off the remote coast of Kimberley beyond Kununurra to escape a confrontation. His subsequent struggles to survive in the hostile environment and, knowing that he must try to literally cover his tracks, give this book its gripping denouement.[1]
Literary significance and criticism
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Awards
- 2001 Western Australian Premier's Book Award Premier's Prize - Book of Year[2]
- 2001 Western Australian Premier's Book Award Premier's Prize - Fiction[2]
- 2001 Good Reading Award, 2001[2]
- 2002 Australian Booksellers Association Book of the Year Award[2]
- 2002 Man Booker Prize for Fiction (shortlist)[3]
- 2002 Miles Franklin Award[4]
- 2002 New South Wales Premier's Literary Award, Christina Stead Prize for Fiction[2]
- 2002 Kiriyama Pacific Rim Book Prize, Fiction, 2002 – shortlist[2]
Album
Tim Winton and Lucky Oceans chose the music for the book's "soundtrack". Released in CD form in Australia in 2001, the two disc set includes both bluegrass and classical music. The music is embodied by a quote from the book: "Anything you could play on a verandah. You know, without electricity. Dirt music."[5]
Film Adaptation
A film adaptation of Dirt Music is in development, to be directed by Phillip Noyce. Originally, Heath Ledger was expected to play the role of Luther Fox, but due to scheduling conflicts with The Dark Knight, Ledger withdrew. In 2007, Rachel Weisz and Colin Farrell were cast in the roles of Georgie Jutland and Luther Fox[6] but filming was delayed. In 2010, it was reported that Russell Crowe would star in the film.,[7] although Noyce said the script was still being worked on. By 2014, Noyce admitted that 'I could never get a script that I thought captured the poetry of the novel, and there’s the problem. A poetic novel is just difficult to translate into a movie. It’s a project I’ll come back to I’m sure in the future.'[8]
References
- ^ "Tim Winton : Dirt Music : Book Review". Mostly Fiction. 2003-02-22. Retrieved 2006-10-22.
- ^ a b c d e f "Tim Winton Author Bio". Booktopia. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ "Shortlist 2002". Man Booker Prize. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ "Miles Franklin Literary Award - Every Winner Since 1957". Better Reading. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ "Various – Dirt Music: Music For A Novel By Tim Winton". Discogs. Retrieved 6 Feb 2017.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ "Farrell to star in Dirt Music". Perth Now.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ "Russell Crowe to star in Aussie film". Digital Spy.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ "Interview: Director Phillip Noyce Tackles Science Fiction with The Giver - ComingSoon.net". ComingSoon.net. 2014-07-11. Retrieved 2016-11-04.
External links
- BBC News Dirt Music paints a bleak picture
- ABC Shop Dirt Music
- Personal Trauma/Historical Trauma in Tim Winton’s Dirt Music | Barbara Arizti - Academia.edu
Links Related to the Film Adaptation