''Dirt Music'' is a 2001 novel by

Tim Winton Timothy John Winton (born 4 August 1960) is an Australian writer. He has written novels, children's books, non-fiction books, and short stories. In 1997, he was named a Living Treasure by the National Trust of Australia, and has won the Miles Fr ...

. A 2002

Man Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly known as the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland. ...

shortlisted novel and winner of the 2002

Miles Franklin Award The Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize awarded to "a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases". The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin (1879–1 ...

, it has been translated into

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

, and

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

. The harsh, unyielding climate of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to t ...

dominates the actions and events of this thriller.

Plot summary

Georgie, the heroine of the book, becomes fascinated while 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 Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops from the thin layer of tissue that covers many of the internal organs (known as the mesothelium). The most common area affected is the lining of the lungs and chest wall. Less commonly the lining ...

in the town) and Broome, to an island off the remote coast of Kimberley, beyond Kununurra, so as to escape a confrontation. His subsequent struggles to survive in the hostile environment, knowing that he must try to literally cover his tracks, give this book its gripping denouement.

Reviews

A review by Leigh Mytton on the BBC describes Winton's characterisation as "incisive" that he "intersperses raw and vernacular language with lyrical passages ... Throughout the novel, it is the indomitable force of nature that pervades." Paul Daley in the

Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

wrote, "''Dirt Music'' is an Australian novel. But it's not gentle or tame and there's nothing quaint about it. Family dysfunction, loneliness and alcoholism in Winton's part of the world - the harsh, beautiful West Australian coast - are among the elements of this raw, tender and disquieting love story." Jules Smith, for the

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...

, writes that in Dirt Music Tim Winton, "brings his human and environmental themes together in ways that are always intensely realized and touching".

Awards

* 2001 Western Australian Premier's Book Award Premier's Prize - Book of Year * 2001 Western Australian Premier's Book Award Premier's Prize - Fiction * 2001 Good Reading Award, 2001 * 2002

Australian Booksellers Association The Australian Booksellers Association (ABA) promotes the interests of booksellers in Australia. The association has its origins in state associations formed early in the 20th century, which later amalgamated into a federal association. In 1985 t ...

Book of the Year Award * 2002

for Fiction (shortlist) * 2002

* 2002

New South Wales Premier's Literary Award The New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, also known as the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, were first awarded in 1979. They are among the richest literary awards in Australia. Notable prizes include the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, t ...

, Christina Stead Prize for Fiction * 2002 Kiriyama Pacific Rim Book Prize, Fiction, 2002 – shortlist

Album

Tim Winton and

Lucky Oceans Lucky Oceans (born Reuben Gosfield, 21 April 1951) is an American pedal steel guitarist and a former member of country and Western swing band Asleep at the Wheel. From 1995 to 2017 he was a broadcaster in Perth, Western Australia with the Aus ...

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 Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" al ...

. The music is embodied by a quote from the book: "Anything you could play on a verandah. You know, without electricity. Dirt music."

Film adaptation

A film adaptation, ''

Dirt Music ''Dirt Music'' is a 2001 novel by Tim Winton. A 2002 Man Booker Prize shortlisted novel and winner of the 2002 Miles Franklin Award, it has been translated into Russian language, Russian, French language, French, German language, German, Dutch lan ...

'', directed by

Gregor Jordan Gregor Jordan (born 1966) is an Australian film director. Jordan's films include '' Two Hands'' (1999), ''Buffalo Soldiers'' (2001), and '' Ned Kelly'' (2003). ''Two Hands'' won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Direction and Best Sc ...

, was released in September 2019. It featured

Kelly Macdonald Kelly Macdonald (born 23 February 1976) is a Scottish actress. She is known for her roles in '' Trainspotting'' (1996), '' Gosford Park'' (2001), '' Intermission'' (2003), '' Nanny McPhee'' (2005), '' No Country for Old Men'' (2007), ''Boardwa ...

and Garrett Hedlund in the lead roles. A proposed adaptation was in development as early as 2009, with

Phillip Noyce Phillip Noyce (born 29 April 1950) is an Australian filmmaker. Since 1977, he has directed over 19 feature films in various genres, including historical drama ('' Newsfront'', '' Rabbit-Proof Fence'', '' The Quiet American''); thrillers (''Dead ...

as the prospective director. In 2014, Noyce admitted that development had ceased, because "I could never get a script that I thought captured the poetry of the novel... A poetic novel is ... difficult to translate into a movie. It’s a project I’ll come back to I’m sure in the future."

References

External links

Personal Trauma/Historical Trauma in Tim Winton’s Dirt Music , Barbara Arizti - Academia.edu
{{Authority control 2001 Australian novels Australian adventure novels Australian novels adapted into films Australian romance novels Australian thriller novels Environmental fiction books Miles Franklin Award-winning works Novels about dysfunctional families Novels by Tim Winton Novels set in Western Australia Picador (imprint) books