Richard Flanagan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Richard Flanagan
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Richard Miller Flanagan
1961 (age 63–64) |
| Alma mater | University of Tasmania Worcester College, Oxford |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Spouse(s) | Majda Smolej |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Martin Flanagan (brother) |
| Awards | Man Booker Prize |
Richard Miller Flanagan (born in 1961) is a famous Australian writer. He won the 2014 Man Booker Prize for his novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North. In 2024, he also won the Baillie Gifford Prize for his book Question 7. This made him the first person ever to win both of Britain's top awards for fiction and non-fiction books.
Many people, including The Washington Post, have called Flanagan "one of our greatest living novelists." The Economist sees him as "the finest Australian novelist of his generation." He has also worked as a film director and writer for movies.
Contents
Richard Flanagan's Early Life and School
Richard Flanagan was born in Longford, Tasmania, Australia, in 1961. He was the fifth of six children in his family. His family came from Ireland a long time ago. His ancestors were sent to Van Diemen's Land (which is now Tasmania) during a very difficult time called the Great Famine. Richard's father survived the terrible Burma Death Railway during a war. One of his brothers, Martin Flanagan, is a well-known sports journalist.
When Richard was born, he had trouble hearing. This was fixed when he was six years old. He grew up in a small mining town called Rosebery on the west coast of Tasmania.
Flanagan left school when he was 16. But he later went back to study at the University of Tasmania. There, he earned a special degree with top honors. He was also the president of the student union in 1983. The next year, he won a special scholarship called the Rhodes Scholarship. This allowed him to study at Oxford University in England. He earned another degree there in History.
Richard Flanagan's First Books
Before writing novels, Richard Flanagan wrote four non-fiction books. He called this time his "apprenticeship," meaning he was learning and practicing. One of these books was Codename Iago. It was about an Australian con man named John Friedrich. Flanagan wrote this book very quickly to earn money for his first novel. Friedrich died while the book was being written, and it was published after his death.
Richard Flanagan's Novels
Richard Flanagan's first novel was Death of a River Guide (1994). It tells the story of a river guide who is drowning and remembers his life and his family's past. This book was seen as a very promising start for an Australian writer.
His next novel, The Sound of One Hand Clapping (1997), became very popular. It sold over 150,000 copies in Australia. This book is about immigrants from Slovenia. Critics said his first two novels were among the best fiction from Australia since the time of Patrick White, another famous Australian writer.
Gould's Book of Fish (2001) is based on the real life of William Buelow Gould, an artist who was a prisoner in the past. The story is about his love for a young Black woman in 1828. This book won the 2002 Commonwealth Writers' Prize.
The Unknown Terrorist (2006) was called "stunning" by The New York Times. It explores ideas about the world after the events of September 11, 2001.
Wanting (2008) tells two stories at the same time. One is about the famous writer Charles Dickens in England. The other is about Mathinna, an Aboriginal orphan adopted by the governor of Van Diemen's Land and his wife. This book won several awards, including the Queensland Premier's Prize.
The Narrow Road to the Deep North (2013) is about a doctor from Tasmania who becomes a prisoner of war in Japan. This powerful novel won the prestigious 2014 Man Booker Prize.
First Person (2017) is loosely based on Flanagan's own experience writing a book for John Friedrich early in his career. Critics found it "enigmatic and mesmerizing."
His 2020 novel, The Living Sea of Waking Dreams, is about a woman taking care of her dying mother during the big wildfires in Australia. It was called "a revelation and a triumph."
Richard Flanagan's Non-Fiction Books
Richard Flanagan has written many articles and essays for newspapers and magazines around the world. These writings cover topics like literature, the environment, art, and politics.
One of his essays, "The Selling-out of Tasmania" (2004), was about how the government in Tasmania worked with big businesses. This essay caused some debate.
In 2007, he wrote an important essay called "Gunns. Out of Control" about a large logging company. This essay helped inspire a campaign to stop the company from building a big pulp mill. The company later faced financial problems, and the mill was never built. Flanagan's essay won an award for journalism.
A collection of his non-fiction writings was published in 2011 as And What Do You Do, Mr Gable?.
In 2015, he published Notes on an Exodus. This book is about the Syrian refugee crisis. He wrote it after visiting refugee camps and meeting refugees. The book also includes drawings by the artist Ben Quilty, who traveled with Flanagan.
His 2021 book, Toxic. The Rotting Underbelly of the Tasmanian Salmon Industry, brought attention to environmental problems in the salmon farming industry. It helped create public opposition to the industry.
In 2024, his book Question 7 won the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction. This made him the first author to win both the Booker and Baillie Gifford prizes. However, Flanagan said he would not accept the prize money until the Baillie Gifford company showed a plan to reduce their investments in fossil fuels and increase investments in clean energy.
Richard Flanagan's Work in Film
Richard Flanagan has also worked in the film industry. The 1998 film The Sound of One Hand Clapping, which he wrote and directed, was nominated for a major award at the Berlin Film Festival.
He also worked as a writer on the 2008 movie Australia, directed by Baz Luhrmann.
A television series based on his novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North was shown at the Berlin Film Festival in 2025. It stars Jacob Elordi and received great reviews. The BBC has bought it to show in the UK.
Richard Flanagan's Personal Life
Richard Flanagan supports the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. He donated his $40,000 prize money from the Australian Prime Minister's Literary Prize in 2014 to this foundation.
A painting of Richard Flanagan by artist Geoffrey Dyer won the 2003 Archibald Prize, a famous art award. A fast part of the Franklin River is named "Flanagan's Surprise" after him. In 2014, he was made an Honorary Citizen of Oxford, Mississippi, which is the hometown of another famous writer, William Faulkner.
In 2024, the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery held an exhibition. It featured five large sculptures by Kevin Perkins, a Tasmanian artist. Each sculpture was inspired by one of Flanagan's novels.
Flanagan lives in Hobart, Tasmania, with his wife, Majda. They have three daughters named Rosie, Jean, and Eliza.
A BBC documentary about his life, called Life After Death, won an award.
Richard Flanagan's Books and Films
Novels
- Death of a River Guide (1994)
- The Sound of One Hand Clapping (1997)
- Gould's Book of Fish: A Novel in Twelve Fish (2001)
- The Unknown Terrorist (2006)
- Wanting (2008)
- The Narrow Road to the Deep North (2013)
- First Person (2017)
- The Living Sea of Waking Dreams (2020)
Non-fiction
- (1985) A Terrible Beauty: History of the Gordon River Country
- (1990) The Rest of the World Is Watching: Tasmania and the Greens (co-editor)
- (1991) Codename Iago: The Story of John Friedrich (co-writer)
- (1991) "Parish-Fed Bastards": A History of the Politics of the Unemployed in Britain, 1884–1939
- (2011) And What Do You Do, Mr Gable?
- (2015) Notes on an Exodus
- (2018) Seize the Fire: Three Speeches
- (2021) Toxic: The Rotting Underbelly of the Tasmania Salmon Industry
- (2023) Question 7
Films
- (1998) The Sound of One Hand Clapping (director and screenwriter)
- (2008) Australia (co-writer)
Richard Flanagan's Awards and Honors
- (1996) National Fiction Award for Death of a River Guide
- (1995) Victorian Premier's Prize for Best First Fiction (for Death of a River Guide)
- (1998) National Booksellers award for Best Book for The Sound of One Hand Clapping
- (1998) Victorian Premier's Prize for Best Novel, for The Sound of One hand Clapping
- (2002) Australian Literature Society Gold Medal (for Gould's Book of Fish: A Novel in Twelve Fish)
- (2002) Victorian Premier's Prize for Fiction for Gould's Book of Fish: A Novel in Twelve Fish
- (2002) The Commonwealth Writers' Prize (for Gould's Book of Fish: A Novel in Twelve Fish)
- (2008) Western Australian Premier's Literary Award for Fiction (for Wanting)
- (2009) Queensland Premier's Literary Award for Fiction (for Wanting)
- (2011) Tasmania Book Prize (for Wanting)
- (2014) Western Australian Premier's Literary Award for Fiction (for The Narrow Road to the Deep North)
- (2014) Queensland Premier's Literary Award for Fiction (for The Narrow Road to the Deep North)
- (2014) The Man Booker Prize for Fiction (for The Narrow Road to the Deep North)
- (2014) Australian Prime Minister's Literary Prize (for The Narrow Road to the Deep North)
- (2015) Margaret Scott Prize (for The Narrow Road to the Deep North)
- (2016) The Athens Prize for Literature (for The Narrow Road to the Deep North)
- (2016) Lire Prix du meilleur livre étranger (for The Narrow Road to the Deep North)
- (2019) Honorary Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities (FAHA)
- (2020) Honorary Fellow of the Modern Languages Association
- (2024) Baillie Gifford Prize (for Question 7)
See also
In Spanish: Richard Flanagan para niños
