Richard Flanagan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Richard Flanagan
Born	Richard Miller Flanagan 1961 (age 63–64) Longford, Tasmania, Australia
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 an Australian writer. He is famous for winning the 2014 Man Booker Prize for his novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North. He also won the 2024 Baillie Gifford Prize for Question 7. This makes him the first writer ever to win both of Britain's top awards for fiction and non-fiction.

Many people think Richard Flanagan is one of the best Australian novelists of his time. He has also worked as a film director and screenwriter.

Richard Flanagan's Early Life and School

Flanagan was born in Longford, Tasmania, Australia, in 1961. He was the fifth of six children. His family came from Ireland. His ancestors were sent to Australia as convicts during the Great Famine. His father survived the terrible Burma Death Railway during World War II. One of his brothers, Martin Flanagan, is a well-known sports journalist.

Richard was born with serious hearing problems. These were fixed when he was six years old. He grew up in a small mining town called Rosebery on Tasmania's west coast.

Flanagan left school at 16. But he later went back to study at the University of Tasmania. He earned a degree with top honors. After that, he won a special scholarship called the Rhodes Scholarship. This allowed him to study at Oxford University in England.

First Steps in Writing

Before writing novels, Flanagan wrote four non-fiction books. He called this time his "apprenticeship," meaning he was learning his craft. One of these books was Codename Iago. It was the life story of an Australian con man named John Friedrich. Flanagan wrote it very quickly to earn money so he could write his first novel.

Richard Flanagan's Novels

Flanagan's first novel was Death of a River Guide (1994). It tells the story of a river guide who is drowning and relives his life. Critics said it was a very promising first book from an Australian writer.

His next novel, The Sound of One Hand Clapping (1997), was a huge success. It sold over 150,000 copies in Australia. This book is about immigrants from Slovenia.

Gould's Book of Fish (2001) is based on the real life of William Buelow Gould. He was a convict artist. 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 9/11 attacks.

Wanting (2008) tells two stories at once. One is about the famous writer Charles Dickens in England. The other is about Mathinna, an Aboriginal orphan. She was adopted by the governor of Van Diemen's Land (old Tasmania) and his wife. This book won several awards, including the Tasmania Book Prize.

His novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North (2013) is about a Tasmanian doctor who becomes a prisoner of war in Japan. This book won the important 2014 Man Booker Prize.

First Person (2017) is loosely based on Flanagan's own experience writing Codename Iago. It's a complex and interesting story about memory and truth.

The Living Sea of Waking Dreams (2020) is about a woman caring for her dying mother during Australia's huge wildfires. It was called "astonishing" by The Sydney Morning Herald.

Non-Fiction Works

Richard Flanagan has written many articles and essays. These pieces cover topics like literature, the environment, art, and politics. They have appeared in major newspapers and magazines around the world.

Some of his writings have caused debate. For example, his 2004 essay "The Selling-out of Tasmania" criticized how the Tasmanian government worked with big businesses.

In 2007, he wrote an essay called "Gunns. Out of Control." It was about Gunns, a large logging company. This essay helped start a big campaign to stop the company from building a new 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 visited refugee camps and met refugees to write it. The book also includes drawings by Australian 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 it.

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 prize's sponsor, Baillie Gifford, showed a plan to reduce their investments in fossil fuels and increase investments in renewable energy.

Richard Flanagan in Film

Richard Flanagan has also worked in movies.

• In 1998, he wrote and directed the film The Sound of One Hand Clapping. It was nominated for a major award at the Berlin Film Festival.
• He also helped write the script for the 2008 film Australia, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman.
• A new TV series based on his novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North is being made. It will star Jacob Elordi.

Personal Life

Richard Flanagan is a supporter of the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. This group helps improve reading skills for Indigenous children in Australia. He even donated his prize money from an award to them in 2014.

A painting of Richard Flanagan by artist Geoffrey Dyer won the 2003 Archibald Prize. A part of the Franklin River in Tasmania is named "Flanagan's Surprise" after him. In 2014, he was made an Honorary Citizen of Oxford, Mississippi, which was the hometown of famous writer William Faulkner.

Flanagan lives in Hobart, Tasmania, with his wife, Majda. They have three daughters: Rosie, Jean, and Eliza.

A BBC documentary called Life After Death was made about his life. It won an award.

Works by Richard Flanagan

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)

Awards and Honors

Richard Flanagan has won many awards for his writing:

• (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