(MENAFN- Arab Times) LONDON Oct 15 (Agencies): Australian novelist Richard Flanagan said that before winning the prestigious Man Booker prize for literature on Tuesday he had considered becoming a miner because he found it so difficult to make a living at his craft. Flanagan 53 won the prestigious 50000-pound ($79530) prize for his novel 'The Narrow Road to the Deep North' set during the building of the Thailand-Burma 'Death Railway' in World War Two.
'I'm not a wealthy man so in essence this means I can continue to write' Flanagan told reporters after winning the prize at a ceremony in London. 'A year and a half ago when I finished this book I was contemplating going to get what work I could in a mine in far northern Australia because things had come to such a pass with my writing I had spent so long on this book' he said. The book while not the story of his father was in some ways a tribute to him. He had been a POW who worked on the infamous railway that claimed the lives of thousands due to the harsh jungle conditions and treatment. Realised 'I grew up as did my five siblings as children of the 'Death Railway'...I realised at a certain point if I was to continue writing I would have to write this book' Flanagan said. In an interview with the BBC late Tuesday he said Prime Minister Tony Abbott was being 'foolish' in his declaration this week that 'coal is good for humanity' when opening a new mine in Queensland state. 'Australia has the most extraordinary environment and I don't understand why our government seems committed to destroying what we have that's unique in the world' said Flanagan a long-time campaigner for the preservation of old growth forest in Tasmania where he lives. 'To be frank I'm ashamed to be Australian when you bring this up.' Abbott made his remarks while opening a new BHP Billiton mine just days after China's shock decision to impose a tariff on resource-rich Australian coal. 'It's very important that we sustain our faith in coal' Abbott said. 'Coal is vital for the future energy needs of the world. Energy is critical if the world is to continue to grow and prosper' the prime minister said. 'So let's have no demonisation of coal.' His father died at age 98 the day Flanagan finished 'The Narrow Road to the Deep North.' He said he had telephoned his father earlier that day to tell him he had sent off the completed manuscript. Flanagan added that he did not share the view that the novel was dying because he said 'I think it is one of the great inventions of the human spirit ... and it is one we need because it allows an individual to speak a truth their truth without power and money.' Flanagan's sixth novel beat out what jury chairman Anthony Grayling said was a strong short list of six books that for the first time under a rule change included works by two Americans giving rise to fears beforehand that the British prize might come to be dominated by American writers. Grayling said those fears should now be put to rest and went on to say of the winner that it was rare to run across a book that 'hits you so hard in the stomach like this that you can't pick up the next one in the pile for a couple of days'. 'It's an absolutely superb novel really outstanding. It's a great work of literature' Grayling said in a briefing before the award was made public. Flanagan is ranked among Australia's finest novelists and also worked as a writer with director Baz Luhrmann on the 2008 film 'Australia'. Discussion Grayling a philosopher said Flanagan was chosen by consensus of the six-person judging panel. A spokeswoman for the public relations firm representing the prize clarified that Grayling had at one point used his tie-breaker vote 'to move the discussion forward' indicating the choice was not unanimous. The other books on the short list were 'We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves' by Karen Jay Fowler (American) 'To Rise Again at a Decent Hour' by Joshua Ferris (American) 'J' by Howard Jacobson (British) 'The Lives of Others' by Neel Mukherjee (British) and 'How to be Both' by Ali Smith (British). In 'The Narrow Road to the Deep North' Flanagan takes up the story of Allied prisoners of war used as forced labor by the Japanese to build the notorious railway line. His protagonist is Dorrigo Evans a doctor and a soldier in the Australian army who is taken prisoner on Java presumably in 1942. In the despair of a Japanese POW camp Evans is haunted by his love affair with his young uncle's wife two years earlier. While struggling to save the men under his command from cholera and beatings he receives a letter that changes his life forever. Named after a famous Japanese book by the haiku poet Basho Grayling said the novel succeeds in showing there are 'extra dimensions' to the relationships between the POWs and their guards. 'It's not really a war novel; it's not about people shooting and bombs going off and so on. It's much more about the people and their relationships' he said. Flanagan drew on his father's experiences as a World War II prisoner of the Japanese for 'The Narrow Road to the Deep North' which centers on the Burma Death Railway built with forced labor at the cost of tens of thousands of lives. Named after a classic work of Japanese literature the book is dedicated to Flanagan's father referred to by his prisoner number 335 who died at the age of 98 shortly after his son finished the manuscript. Flanagan is the third Australian to take the award after Thomas Keneally and Peter Carey and his victory disappointed those who hoped to see an American win in the first year US authors are eligible. A.C. Grayling said the book which moves from Tasmania to southeast Asia to Japan explored 'the loss of a love and then the loss of comrades' and the trauma of having to live with such an overwhelming experience. 'If you are made a hero by your country but you don't feel like one - that is explored so wonderfully well in this novel' he said. Flanagan 53 was given his trophy and 50000 ($80000) winner's check by Prince Charles' wife Camilla Duchess of Cornwall after a black-tie dinner in London's medieval Guildhall. Eligible This was the first year writers of all nationalities have been eligible for the Booker previously open only to authors from Britain Ireland and the Commonwealth of dozens of former British colonies including Australia. US writers Joshua Ferris and Karen Joy Fowler were among the six finalists. Ferris' cyber-identity tale 'To Rise Again at a Decent Hour' and Fowler's unusual family story 'We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves' were shortlisted alongside Flanagan and three novels by British writers Ali Smith's dual-narrative story 'How to Be Both' Howard Jacobson's dystopian 'J'' and Neel Mukherjee's Calcutta-set 'The Lives of Others.' Winning the Booker guarantees a boost in profile and sales and can transform careers. When Hilary Mantel won for 'Wolf Hall' in 2009 she went from modestly successful novelist to literary superstar. Last year's winner New Zealand writer Eleanor Catton has seen her 900-page novel 'The Luminaries' sell 500000 copies around the world. Jonathan Ruppin of bookstore chain Foyles said Flanagan's book should be a strong seller. He said it was 'one of the truly great winners of the prize one that will be widely read not least because it's impossible to lay aside completely and forget.' Some British writers had expressed fears that the change in eligibility could lead to US dominance of the 46-year-old award officially named the Man Booker Prize after its sponsor financial services firm Man Group PLC. Grayling said Flanagan's victory should put a stop to chatter about an American invasion. 'There is a very powerful cohort of contemporary American writers but neither the longlist nor the shortlist was overwhelmed by them' he said.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.