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Peter Carey (b1943)
Who?
An Australian colossus whose searching characterisation and sophisticated plots often reflect on history, he is greatly influenced by Joyce and Faulkner.
Must reads
The Fat Man in History (1974), Bliss (1981), Illywhacker (1985), Oscar and Lucinda (1988), The Tax Inspector (1991), The Unusual Life of Tristram Smith (1994) and True History of the Kelly Gang (2001).
Darkest hour
Writing the Wim Wenders film Until the End of the World, savaged by the critics.
Greatest triumph
Twice winning the Booker Prize for Oscar And Lucinda and True History of the Kelly Gang.
Essential quotes
'Harry Joy was to die three times, but it was his first death which was to have the greatest effect on him, and it is this first death which we shall now witness.' (Bliss, opening lines)
'Glass is a thing in disguise, and actor, not solid at all, but a liquid … an old sheet of glass will not only take on a royal and purplish tinge but will reveal its true liquid nature by having grown fatter at the bottom and thinner at the top.' (Oscar and Lucinda)
'It is invisible, solid, in short a joyous and paradoxical thing, as good a material as any to build a life from.' (about glass, again, in Oscar and Lucinda)
Gossip
He started a science degree, failed his exams, became an advertising copywriter and lived in a so-called alternative community.
Film versions
A 1997 film adaptation of Oscar And Lucinda starred Ralph Fiennes and Cate Blanchett.
What to say
He has a beautifully tuned ironic tone and his short stories can be even more adventurous than his novels.
Don't say
I thought Oscar and Lucinda was an Australian version of Tom and Jerry.
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