 First edition cover | |
| Author | Trent Dalton |
|---|---|
| Audio read by | Stig Wemyss |
| Cover artist | Darren Holt |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Bildungsroman, crime thriller, magical realism |
| Publisher | Fourth Estate (HarperCollins) |
Publication date | 2018 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 488 pp. |
| ISBN | 978-1-4607-5389-7 |
Boy Swallows Universe is the debut novel by Australian writer Trent Dalton. It was originally published by Fourth Estate in Australia in 2018. [1]
This semi-biographical [2] coming-of-age novel is set in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1983. Eli Bell is a traumatised teenager with an absent father, a mute brother, an imprisoned mother, and a heroin dealer for a stepfather.
After its original publication in 2018 in Australia by publisher Fourth Estate [3] the novel was later republished as follows:
The novel was also translated into Spanish, Swedish, French, Dutch, Finnish, Turkish, Portuguese, Chinese, Czech, and Lithuanian in 2019; Italian, Polish, and Russian in 2020; and German, Korean, Japanese and Hebrew in 2021. [1] It became the fastest-selling debut novel in Australian history, selling more than a million copies worldwide. [2]
John Collee in The Age compared the writer to Tim Winton and Robert Drewe, stating: "Dalton is a writer in the same league. His dialogue is every bit as funny and accurate as Winton's, his prose just as evocative, and he's better at wrapping up the ending. The last 100 pages of Boy Swallows Universe propel you like an express train to a conclusion that is profound and complex and unashamedly commercial. There are shades of Raymond Chandler in the final confrontation with the town's bleached and wealthy benefactor whose cement bunker conceals a chilling secret. And even a nod to John Buchan." [4]
Sunil Dasgupta writing in the Washington Independent Review of Books noted: "This is Dalton’s debut novel, and he is a compelling storyteller with an exceptional voice. He depicts a heroin-addled Australia that we are not familiar with in the United States, a perch from where Australia looks like all gorgeous beaches and even more gorgeous beach bums." [5]
A 2021 stage adaptation became the best-selling show in Queensland Theatre's history. [2]
The book was adapted for a 7-episode TV mini-series produced by Brouhaha Entertainment's Andrew Mason and Troy Lum, which premiered on Netflix on 11 January 2024. The adaptation was written by John Collee, with episodes directed by Bharat Nalluri, Jocelyn Moorhouse, and Kim Mordaunt. It featured Lee Tiger Halley and Felix Cameron in the lead roles. [13]
The Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize awarded to "a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases". The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin (1879–1954), who is best known for writing the Australian classic My Brilliant Career (1901). She bequeathed her estate to fund this award. As of 2016, the award is valued at A$60,000.
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Gail Jones is an Australian novelist and academic.
John Gerald Collee is a Scottish/Australian doctor, novelist and screenwriter whose films have three times been nominated for Oscars. Master and Commander was nominated for Best Film 2003, Happy Feet won Best Animation in 2006, and Tanna (2015) was nominated for Best Foreign Language Feature in 2015. His many other films, written or co-written, include Creation (2013), Hotel Mumbai (2018) and Lee. His novels include Kingsleys Touch, A Paper Mask and The Rig published by Viking/Penguin. His TV Adaptation of Boy Swallows Universe received critical acclaim upon release on Netflix in 2024.
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This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 2018.
The Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) are publishers' and literary awards held by the Australian Publishers Association annually in Sydney "to celebrate the achievements of authors and publishers in bringing Australian books to readers". Works are first selected by an academy of more than 200 industry professionals, and then a shortlist and winners are chosen by judging panels.
Trent Dalton is an Australian novelist and journalist. He is best known for his 2018 semi-autobiographical novel Boy Swallows Universe.
Vikki Wakefield is an Australian author who writes young adult fiction.
The MUD Literary Prize is an Australian literary award awarded annually at Adelaide Writers' Week since 2018 to a debut literary novel. It is sponsored by a philanthropic organisation, the MUD Literary Club, which was founded in 2012.
Boy Swallows Universe is an Australian coming of age television limited series for Netflix based on the semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by Trent Dalton. Produced by Andrew Mason and Troy Lum and written by John Collee, the story revolves around Eli Bell, a working-class youth who enters Brisbane's underworld to save his mother from danger.
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