Who is Tim Winton?
Tim Winton is an Australian novelist from Western Australia, born in Perth in 1960, best known for Cloudstreet. He has won the Miles Franklin Award four times, a record he shares with Thea Astley.
Winton published his first novel, An Open Swimmer, at 21 after winning the Australian/Vogel Literary Award. His writing often focuses on the coast, the ocean and working-class families of Western Australia.
Cloudstreet, published in 1991, follows two families who share a large house in Perth over 20 years after the Second World War. It is often voted Australia's favourite novel and has been adapted for stage and television.
Major works
His Miles Franklin-winning novels are Shallows, Cloudstreet, Dirt Music and Breath. Breath, about two boys and surfing, was made into a film directed by Simon Baker in 2017.
Other books include The Riders and The Shepherd's Hut, as well as children's books and short stories such as The Turning.
Winton is also a prominent environmental campaigner, especially for the protection of Ningaloo Reef and the Western Australian coast. His novel Juice was published in 2024.
Did You Know?
Winton's children's book Lockie Leonard, about a surfing teenager, was adapted into a TV series.