Tim Winton (b. 1960) is the author of 29 books, with his work translated into 28 languages. Many of his novels evoke the landscape and people of his native Western Australia. Born in Perth, Winton studied creative writing at the Western Australian Institute of Technology under author Elizabeth Jolley. Winton's first novel, An Open Swimmer, published when he was only 21, won him the Australian/Vogel Literary Award. For his second book, Shallows (1984), he won the prestigious Miles Franklin Award. He won again for Cloudstreet (1991), a work of distinctively Australian magic realism, as well as for the exceptionally successful Dirt Music (2001) and Breath (2009). The Riders (1994) and Dirt Music, both nominated for the Booker Prize, established his unquestionable status as Australia's most popular author. In addition to various works of non-fiction – for example Down to Earth, his collaboration with West Australian photographer Richard Woldendorp – his books for children have ensured his exposure at all levels. Cloudstreet regularly appears in lists of best Australian books, and many of his novels have been adapted for stage and screen. Named a Living Treasure by the National Trust, Winton has long been active in the environmental and social justice spaces. In 2016 he wrote a memoir, The Boy Behind the Curtain, and he released his 29th book, The Shepherd's Hut, in 2018.
