Shallows

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Shallows
Shallows.jpg
First edition
Author Tim Winton
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
Publisher Allen & Unwin, Australia
Publication date
1984
Media type Paperback
Pages235
ISBN 0-86861-793-8
OCLC 29006597
Preceded by An Open Swimmer  
Followed by That Eye, The Sky  

Shallows (1984) is a novel by Australian author Tim Winton. It won the 1984 Miles Franklin Award, and was the 1985 joint winner of Western Australian Premier's Book Award - Fiction.

Contents

Carolyn See called it "a dark masterpiece that ranks with Moby-Dick ". [1]

Story outline

The novel is set in 1978 in the fictional town of Angelus, Western Australia. The town is the last remaining remnant of Australia's whaling industry and the novel details the conflicts that arise as a group of outsiders, intent on closing down the whaling industry, come to town.

Critical reception

Marian Eldridge in The Canberra Times was impressed with the work: "It is a book resonant with meanings. On the surface it looks at a contemporary situation, a year-old relationship under strain as one partner becomes an active conservationist and the other an uncommitted, embarrassed observer. Whatever one decides the novel is saying, Shallows is a satisfying book." [2]

Awards

Related Research Articles

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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This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1984.

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References