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2009 Nominated

Other Country

Stephen Scourfield

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ABOUT
THE BOOK

Set in the harsh, remote country of the Top End, Other Country tells the story of two young brothers, The Ace and Wild Billy, and their struggle to overcome the bitter legacy of their brutal father. Bound by blood and memories and trust, they are destined to clash one fettered by the past, the other straining towards the future. And out of it all lead only two paths to end up mean and empty like the Old Man, or not.

Written with an authentic grittiness and an understated, dry humour, it is also an unforgettable story of the ‘other country’ of the Top End, the implacable and unforgiving moods of the landscape and the laconic and tough characters who make this hard country their home.

StephenScourfield

ABOUT
THE AUTHOR Stephen
Scourfield

Stephen Scourfield, author, journalist, travel editor, and photographer, has travelled extensively throughout the world.

His journeys in Australia, including more than a million kilometres on roads and tracks around Western Australia, have given him a deep understanding of the continent’s human and geographic landscape. The relationship of humans to landscape has become a central theme of his writing.

His first novel, Other Country, was the fiction winner in the WA Premier’s Book Award 2007, shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and longlisted for the 2009 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.

Stephen Scourfield is a recipient of a United Nations Media Award and has twice been named Australia’s Best Travel Writer, in 2011 and 2009.

Stephen Scourfield, author, journalist, travel editor, and photographer, has travelled extensively throughout the world.

His journeys in Australia, including more than a million kilometres on roads and tracks around Western Australia, have given him a deep understanding of the continent’s human and geographic landscape. The relationship of humans to landscape has become a central theme of his writing.

His first novel, Other Country, was the fiction winner in the WA Premier’s Book Award 2007, shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and longlisted for the 2009 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.

Stephen Scourfield is a recipient of a United Nations Media Award and has twice been named Australia’s Best Travel Writer, in 2011 and 2009.

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NOMINATING LIBRARY COMMENTS

Riveting opening with excellent scene setting and authentic characters. Laconic and vivid descriptions of landscape, droving station life and the desolate towns of the top end. Legacy of the hard lessons of a brutal father on two very different sons.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Country
Australia
Original Language
English
Author
Stephen Scourfield
Publisher
Allen & Unwin
Nominating Library
State Library of Western Australia - Australia

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