Cloudstreet is a novel by Australian writer Tim Winton published in 1991. It chronicles the lives of two working-class families, the Pickles and the Lambs, who come to live together in a large house called Cloudstreet in Perth, Western Australia, over a period of twenty years, 1943 to 1963. The novel received several awards, including a Miles Franklin Award in 1992, and has been adapted into various forms, including a stage play and a television miniseries.
 First edition | |
| Author | Tim Winton |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | McPhee Gribble |
Publication date | May 1991 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 426 pp |
| ISBN | 0-14-027398-0 |
| OCLC | 220869584 |
| Preceded by | In the Winter Dark |
| Followed by | The Riders |
In 2022, the novel was included on the "Big Jubilee Read" list of 70 books by Commonwealth authors, selected to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II.[1]
Plot summary edit
In 1943, precipitated by separate personal tragedies, two poor families, the Lambs and the Pickles, flee their rural homes to share a large house called Cloudstreet in Perth, Western Australia.[2] The Pickles include the father, Sam, the mother, Dolly, and their three children, Ted, Rose, and Chub. The Lambs are led by father, Lester, and mother, Oriel, and they have six children, Hattie, Elaine, Mason (nicknamed "Quick"), Samson (nicknamed “Fish”), Red and Lon. The Pickles own Cloudstreet, but rent half of the house to the Lambs, who open a grocery store on the ground floor of the house.[3] The two families contrast each other; the devoutly religious Lambs find meaning in hard work and God's grace, while the Pickles hope for good luck and do not share the Lambs' appetite for hard work.[4] The novel focuses on the experiences and relationships of these two families over a period of 20 years.[2]
Major themes edit
The novel is a celebration of community and people's search for connection with family, the past, and the environment in which they live.[4] The novel also explores several Australian cultural myths, including the idealisation of the Aussie battler, the heroic figure of the ANZAC, rural and suburban identity, and the idea of Australia as "the lucky country".[5] Peter Garrett also noted the importance of landscapes in the book: "he writes about the physicality of our landscapes and whether it's sort of, you know, railway cuttings, or bits of the desert, or the coast, or the estuaries where they go fishing occasionally, and he casts that landscape across the top of the lives that people are leading and their emotional landscapes are sort of contrasting against the landscapes of things they're doing at different times".[6]
Historical context edit
Cloudstreet is framed by many key events in world history, including World War II, the Korean War and the assassination of John F. Kennedy.[7][8] Australia at this time was, for the most part, comfortable and conservative, characterised by backyard barbecues, by wives – who were no longer needed for the war effort – consigned to the home, and by the growth of the Australian dream. World events influence the Lambs and Pickles, but distantly, like an echo that sends ripples across the surface of their lives. The novel focuses on the domestic, and this serves as the filter through which history is measured. The most prominent historical character within Cloudstreet is the Nedlands monster, whose real name is Eric Edgar Cooke, a serial killer. The Australian Dictionary of Biography writes that Winton's novel Cloudstreet embodied the social impact of Cooke's crimes, which saw a change in personal and household security and a loss of a relaxed style of living.[9]
Critical reception edit
The novel has received positive reviews. Australian writer Marion Halligan praised Winton's prose, deeming it "full of energy, vitality, [and] wit".[10] Writer Mem Fox stated "If you have not read Cloudstreet, your life is diminished . . . if you have not met these characters, this generous community, these tragedies, the humour. It is so wonderful."[6] In his introduction to the 2013 Folio Society edition, Australian writer Alex Miller calls it "Australia's most iconic novel" and "one of the greatest acts of the human imagination of the late twentieth century".[11]
Awards and recognition edit
Cloudstreet was the recipient of the National Book Council Banjo Award for Fiction, the Western Australian Fiction Award and the Deo Gloria Award in 1991, and a Miles Franklin Award in 1992.[12] In 2003, members of the Australian Society of Authors (ASA) voted Cloudstreet as their favourite Australian novel.[13] The same year, Cloudstreet came out on top in a readers' poll organised by the ASA and ABC Radio National.[14] Cloudstreet was the "overwhelming favourite" in the 2010 "ABR Favourite Australian Novel" poll conducted by the Australian Book Review,[15] and in 2012, viewers of First Tuesday Book Club voted Cloudstreet #1 on a list of "10 Aussie Books You Must Read Before You Die".[16] On 5 November 2019, BBC News listed Cloudstreet on its list of the 100 most influential novels.[17]
Adaptations edit
Cloudstreet has been adapted into various forms:
- Paige Gibbs adapted the book into a radio play in 1996 for ABC Radio National.[18]
- In 1998, the novel was adapted into a stage play by Nick Enright and Justin Monjo,[18] which opened in Sydney in January 1998 under the direction of Neil Armfield, produced by Company B and Black Swan Theatre for the Sydney Festival,[19] and published by Currency Press.[20] The play won several awards, including an AWGIE Award in 1999,[21] and the Helpmann Award for Best Play and Helpmann Award for Best Direction of a Play in 2002.[22] In 2019 and 2020, the play was revived in a Black Swan State Theatre Company and Malthouse Theatre co-production under the direction of Matthew Lutton, staged from February 21 to March 15, 2020 at His Majesty's Theatre as a part of Perth Festival.[23]
- A three-part television miniseries was made for the Showcase subscription television channel, which first screened from 22 May 2011.[24]
- In May 2016, an operatic version with music by George Palmer was premiered in Adelaide by the State Opera of South Australia.[25]
- In June 2023 a three part radio version was broadcast on BBC Radio 4.[1]
References edit
- ^ "The Big Jubilee Read: A literary celebration of Queen Elizabeth II's record-breaking reign". BBC. 17 April 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
- ^ a b "CLOUDSTREET | Kirkus Reviews". Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on 20 September 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ Olshan, Joseph (23 August 1992). "See Perth and Perish (Published 1992)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ a b "Great Australian Novel | Australia Explained". www.australia-explained.com.au. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ McCredden, Lyn. "Cloudstreet". Reading Australia. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ a b "The Books – Cloudstreet by Tim Winton Reviewed 2/03/2010 Transcript". ABC. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
- ^ McFarlane, Brian (22 May 2011). "Cloudstreet". Australian Book Review. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ "Context and Background, Cloudstreet novel". nebo-lit.com. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ "Cooke, Eric Edgar (1931–1964)". Cooke, Eric Edgar (1931–1964) by Hugh Collins. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
- ^ Halligan, Marion (April 1991). "Marion Halligan reviews 'Cloudstreet' by Tim Winton". www.australianbookreview.com.au. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ Winton, Tim. Cloudstreet. London: Folio Society (2013). pp. xvi.
- ^ "AbeBooks: Miles Franklin Award Winners – Fine Australian Literature Since 1957". www.abebooks.com. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
- ^ Raging, Catherine (27 May 2003). "Authors' top reads", The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
- ^ Knox, Malcolm (26 November 2003). "Readers' poll puts Winton on cloud nine", The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
- ^ "Cloudstreet Brian McFarlane Published in June 2011 no. 332". Australian Book Review. 22 May 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
- ^ 10 Aussie Books You Must Read Before You Die, First Tuesday Book Club (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). Retrieved 9 December 2012.
- ^
"100 'most inspiring' novels revealed by BBC Arts". BBC News. 5 November 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
The reveal kickstarts the BBC's year-long celebration of literature.
- ^ a b "Cloudstreet's Adaptations". Austlit. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
- ^ "AusStage". www.ausstage.edu.au. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
- ^ "Cloudstreet Nick Enright & Justin Monjo". Currency Press. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
- ^ "AWGIE Stage Award". Australian Plays Award. Archived from the original on 25 February 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
- ^ "Past Nominees and Winners 2002". Helpman Awards. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
- ^ Hondros, Nathan (3 March 2020). "As hell heads to Freo, Perth Festival marks high water with Cloudstreet homecoming". WAtoday. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ Knox, David (17 May 2011). "Cloudstreet | TV Tonight". TV Tonight. Archived from the original on 20 May 2011. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ Henderson, Dylan (14 May 2016). "Review: Cloudstreet (State Opera of South Australia)". Limelight. Archived from the original on 13 April 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2020.