Commonwealth Writers' Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 13 (1999) Winner
Murray Bail
マレー・ベイル
Murray Bail
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1941-09-22 （Adelaide, South Australia, Australia）
- Nationality
- Australian
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Adelaide (birthplace) → India (sojourn: 1968–1970) → England and Europe (sojourn: 1970–1974) → Sydney (long-term residence)
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Novelist, Short story writer, Non-fiction writer, Editor
- Active Years
- 1960-2021
- Affiliations
- National Gallery of Australia (Trustee, 1976–1981)
- Influenced By
- Marcel Proust, André Gide, Paul Valéry
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norwood Technical High School (now Marryatville High School) | — | — | — | 1954-1958 | Australia |
Norwood Technical High School (now Marryatville High School)
Period:
1954-1958
Year of Graduation:
1958
Country:
Australia
Completed secondary education. No clear record of university studies in major sources.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | The Age Book of the Year | Homesickness | — | The Age | joint winner |
| 1980 | National Book Council Award | Homesickness | — | National Book Council | winner |
| 1988 | Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction (Victorian Premier's Literary Award) | Holden's Performance | — | Victorian Premier's Literary Award | winner |
| 1998 | ALS Gold Medal | Eucalyptus | — | Australian Literature Society (ALS) | winner |
| 1999 | Miles Franklin Award | Eucalyptus | — | Miles Franklin Award committee | winner |
| 1999 | Commonwealth Writers' Prize | Eucalyptus | — | Commonwealth Writers' Prize | winner |
The Age Book of the Year
1980
Work:
Homesickness
Organization:
The Age
Result:
joint winner
National Book Council Award
1980
Work:
Homesickness
Organization:
National Book Council
Result:
winner
Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction (Victorian Premier's Literary Award)
1988
Work:
Holden's Performance
Organization:
Victorian Premier's Literary Award
Result:
winner
ALS Gold Medal
1998
Work:
Eucalyptus
Organization:
Australian Literature Society (ALS)
Result:
winner
Miles Franklin Award
1999
Work:
Eucalyptus
Organization:
Miles Franklin Award committee
Result:
winner
Commonwealth Writers' Prize
1999
Work:
Eucalyptus
Organization:
Commonwealth Writers' Prize
Result:
winner
Awards & Nominations
Miles Franklin Literary Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 40 (1999) Winner
Works
Major Works
Homesickness
1980 NovelFollows a group of Australian tourists on global travels to real and imagined museums; explores language, reality and identity.
travellanguage and realityidentity
Holden's Performance
1987 NovelA novel addressing national identity and the forces shaping character; marked by satire and formal play.
nationidentitysocial satire
Eucalyptus
1998 NovelExamines the binary of empirical knowledge and imagination through a narrative structured around eucalyptus trees; winner of the Miles Franklin Award (1999).
knowledge vs imaginationlimits of languagenature and culture
The Pages
2008 NovelA novel concerned with psychology and philosophy; was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award.
psychologyphilosophystructures of thought
The Voyage
2012 NovelA 2012 novel revolving around travel and recollection.
voyagememory
Contemporary Portraits and Other Stories (including 'The Drover's Wife')
1975 Short stories / CollectionCollection of early short stories; mixes surreal fantasy and broad satire of Australian mores.
surrealismsatireAustralian mores
Adaptations
- [Short film] The Drover's Wife (short film) / Sue Brooks (1984)
Bibliography
- Contemporary Portraits and Other Stories (1975)
- Homesickness (1980)
- Ian Fairweather (1981, non-fiction)
- Holden's Performance (1987)
- Longhand: A Writer's Notebook (1989, non-fiction)
- Eucalyptus (1998)
- Camouflage (2000, short stories)
- Notebooks 1970-2003 (2005, non-fiction)
- The Pages (2008)
- The Voyage (2012)
- He. (2021, non-fiction)
- The Faber Book of Contemporary Australian Short Stories (editor, 1988)
Adaptations
- 'The Drover's Wife' (short story) adapted by Sue Brooks into a 1984 short film
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Idea-driven, experimental narrative techniquesBlend of satire and witConcise, intellectual prose exploring language-reality relationships
- Recurring Motifs
- limits of language and discoursetravel and displacementindividual and national identitynature (notably trees) and culture
Health
-
Amoebic dysentery1968Contracted while in India; traveled to London for treatment. Reportedly had a short-term impact on his life and work.
Legacy
Murray Bail is regarded as one of the innovators of Australian short fiction and a major novelist of ideas; his experimental treatment of language and reality has earned him national and international recognition, notably with Eucalyptus.
Museums
- Portrait of Murray Bail in the National Portrait Gallery (Canberra) Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia Opened in 1998
Archives
- National Library of Australia (possible holding of papers)
- National Portrait Gallery (portrait collection)
In Popular Culture
- 'The Drover's Wife' short story was adapted into a short film in 1984
Trivia
- He reportedly threw away his first novel written in India, judging it worthless.
- Served as a trustee of the National Gallery of Australia from 1976 to 1981.
- A portrait of Bail by Fred Williams is held in the National Portrait Gallery.
- Homesickness was a joint winner of The Age Book of the Year in 1980.