Elliot Perlman
Encyclopedia
Elliot Perlman is an Australian author
and barrister
. He has written two novels and one short story collection.
in Melbourne
, graduating in 1989.
He was called to the Bar in 1997, but while working as a judge's associate in the early 1990s he started writing short stories, and won 'The Age' short story competition in 1994.
He lives in Melbourne, Australia
.
for The Reasons I Won't Be Coming, a short story that later gave the title to his first collection of short stories, published in 1999. In 1998, his first novel Three Dollars
was published. It won The Age Book of the Year
and the Betty Trask Prize. His second novel Seven Types of Ambiguity was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award
, Australia's most prestigious literary award, in 2004.
In an interview in 2001 he named Graham Greene
as one of the writers who inspire him, describing Greene as "a master of beautifully crisp, clean and spare prose".
and Graham Greene
because they "write with quite a strong moral centre and a strong sense of compassion". However, he says, "Part of my task is to entertain readers. I don't want it to be propaganda at all. I don't think that for something to be political fiction it has to offer an alternative; I think just a social critique is enough." He describes himself, in fact, as being interested in "the essence of humanity" and argued that exploring this often means touching on political issues.
Perlman often uses music, and song lyrics, in his work to convey an idea or mood, or to give a sense of who a character is. However, he recognises that this is "a bit of a risk because the less familiar the reader is with the song, the smaller the pay off".
was produced as a film
in 2005. It was directed by Robert Connolly
, and starred David Wenham
and Frances O'Connor
. Perlman and Connolly jointly adapted the novel.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
. He has written two novels and one short story collection.
Life
Perlman is the son of second-generation Jewish Australians of East European descent. Perlman studied law at Monash UniversityMonash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, graduating in 1989.
He was called to the Bar in 1997, but while working as a judge's associate in the early 1990s he started writing short stories, and won 'The Age' short story competition in 1994.
He lives in Melbourne, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Writing career
In 1994 he won The Age Short Story AwardThe Age Short Story Award
The Age Short Story Award is a competition that is run in conjunction with International PEN, the international writers' association. It was established in 1979. From 1979 to 1984 it was run in conjunction with Tabloid Story and was known as The Age-Tabloid Story Awards. The inaugural award was won...
for The Reasons I Won't Be Coming, a short story that later gave the title to his first collection of short stories, published in 1999. In 1998, his first novel Three Dollars
Three Dollars (novel)
Three Dollars is a novel by Australian writer Elliot Perlman, his first published novel. A movie of the same name based on the novel was released in 2005.-Plot summary:...
was published. It won The Age Book of the Year
The Age Book of the Year
The Age Book of the Year Awards are annual literary awards presented by Melbourne's The Age newspaper. The awards were first presented in 1974. Since 1998 they have been presented as part of the Melbourne Writers Festival...
and the Betty Trask Prize. His second novel Seven Types of Ambiguity was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award
Miles Franklin Award
The Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize for the best Australian ‘published novel or play portraying Australian life in any of its phases’. The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin , who is best known for writing the Australian classic My Brilliant Career ...
, Australia's most prestigious literary award, in 2004.
In an interview in 2001 he named Graham Greene
Graham Greene
Henry Graham Greene, OM, CH was an English author, playwright and literary critic. His works explore the ambivalent moral and political issues of the modern world...
as one of the writers who inspire him, describing Greene as "a master of beautifully crisp, clean and spare prose".
Themes and style
His work "condemns the economic rationalism that destroys the humanity of ordinary people when they are confronted with unemployment and poverty". This is not surprising in a writer who admires Raymond CarverRaymond Carver
Raymond Clevie Carver, Jr. was an American short story writer and poet. Carver is considered a major American writer of the late 20th century and also a major force in the revitalization of the short story in the 1980s....
and Graham Greene
Graham Greene
Henry Graham Greene, OM, CH was an English author, playwright and literary critic. His works explore the ambivalent moral and political issues of the modern world...
because they "write with quite a strong moral centre and a strong sense of compassion". However, he says, "Part of my task is to entertain readers. I don't want it to be propaganda at all. I don't think that for something to be political fiction it has to offer an alternative; I think just a social critique is enough." He describes himself, in fact, as being interested in "the essence of humanity" and argued that exploring this often means touching on political issues.
Perlman often uses music, and song lyrics, in his work to convey an idea or mood, or to give a sense of who a character is. However, he recognises that this is "a bit of a risk because the less familiar the reader is with the song, the smaller the pay off".
Adaptations
Perlman's novel Three DollarsThree Dollars (novel)
Three Dollars is a novel by Australian writer Elliot Perlman, his first published novel. A movie of the same name based on the novel was released in 2005.-Plot summary:...
was produced as a film
Three Dollars
Three Dollars is a 2005 Australian film, directed by Robert Connolly and based on a novel of the same name by Elliot Perlman. It won the 2005 Australian Film Institute Award for Best Adapted Screenplay....
in 2005. It was directed by Robert Connolly
Robert Connolly
Robert Connolly is a politically conscious film director, producer and screenwriter based in Melbourne, Australia.Connolly is best known as the director and writer of the feature films Balibo, Three Dollars and The Bank, and the producer of the high-profile Australian films Romulus My Father and...
, and starred David Wenham
David Wenham
David Wenham is an Australian actor who has appeared in movies, television series and theatre productions. He is known in Hollywood for his roles as Faramir in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, Carl in Van Helsing and Dilios in 300 and Neil Fletcher in Australia...
and Frances O'Connor
Frances O'Connor
-Background:O'Connor was born in Wantage, Oxfordshire, England to a pianist mother and nuclear physicist father. When O'Connor was two, her family moved back to Perth, Western Australia. O'Connor was raised a Roman Catholic and attended the Mercedes College in Perth...
. Perlman and Connolly jointly adapted the novel.
Awards and nominations
- 2005: Australian Film InstituteAustralian Film InstituteThe Australian Film Institute was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry...
(AFI) Awards, Best Adapted Screenplay: winner for Three Dollars - 2005: Film Critics Circle of AustraliaFilm Critics Circle of AustraliaThe Film Critics Circle of Australia is a group of cinema critics that judge Australian films.-External links:**...
, Best Screenplay - Adapted: winner for Three Dollars - 2005: AWGIE AwardsAWGIE AwardsThe AWGIE Awards is an annual awards ceremony conducted by the Australian Writers' Guild, for excellence in screen, television, stage and radio writing. The awards began in 1967....
, Film Award, Feature: shortlisted for Three Dollars - 2004: Commonwealth Writers Prize, South East Asia and South Pacific Region, Best Book: shortlisted for Seven Types of Ambiguity
- 2004: Queensland Premier's Literary AwardsQueensland Premier's Literary AwardsThe Queensland Premier's Literary Awards were inaugurated in 1999 and have grown to become a leading literary awards program within Australia, with $225,000 in prizemoney over 14 categories. One of Australia's richest prizes, top categories offer up to $25,000 for 1st prize.-Fiction Book...
, Best Fiction Book: shortlisted for Seven Types of Ambiguity - 2004: Miles Franklin AwardMiles Franklin AwardThe Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize for the best Australian ‘published novel or play portraying Australian life in any of its phases’. The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin , who is best known for writing the Australian classic My Brilliant Career ...
: shortlisted for Seven Types of Ambiguity - 2000: Arts Queensland Steele Rudd Australian Short Story AwardQueensland Premier's Literary AwardsThe Queensland Premier's Literary Awards were inaugurated in 1999 and have grown to become a leading literary awards program within Australia, with $225,000 in prizemoney over 14 categories. One of Australia's richest prizes, top categories offer up to $25,000 for 1st prize.-Fiction Book...
: joint winner for The Reasons I Won't Be Coming - 1999: Betty Trask AwardBetty Trask AwardThe Betty Trask Prize and Awards are for first novels written by authors under the age of 35, who reside in a current or former Commonwealth nation. The awards were established in 1984 by the Society of Authors, at the bequest of the late Betty Trask, a reclusive author of over thirty romance novels...
for Commonwealth Writers Under 35 Years: winner for Three Dollars - 1999: Queensland Premier's Literary AwardsQueensland Premier's Literary AwardsThe Queensland Premier's Literary Awards were inaugurated in 1999 and have grown to become a leading literary awards program within Australia, with $225,000 in prizemoney over 14 categories. One of Australia's richest prizes, top categories offer up to $25,000 for 1st prize.-Fiction Book...
, Best Literary Work Advancing Public Debate: joint winner for Three Dollars - 1999: Miles Franklin AwardMiles Franklin AwardThe Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize for the best Australian ‘published novel or play portraying Australian life in any of its phases’. The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin , who is best known for writing the Australian classic My Brilliant Career ...
: shortlisted for Three Dollars - 1998: The Age Book of the YearThe Age Book of the YearThe Age Book of the Year Awards are annual literary awards presented by Melbourne's The Age newspaper. The awards were first presented in 1974. Since 1998 they have been presented as part of the Melbourne Writers Festival...
Award, Book of the Year: winner for Three Dollars - 1998: The Age Book of the YearThe Age Book of the YearThe Age Book of the Year Awards are annual literary awards presented by Melbourne's The Age newspaper. The awards were first presented in 1974. Since 1998 they have been presented as part of the Melbourne Writers Festival...
Award, Fiction Prize: winner for Three Dollars - 1994: The Age Short Story AwardThe Age Short Story AwardThe Age Short Story Award is a competition that is run in conjunction with International PEN, the international writers' association. It was established in 1979. From 1979 to 1984 it was run in conjunction with Tabloid Story and was known as The Age-Tabloid Story Awards. The inaugural award was won...
: winner for The Reasons I Won't Be Coming
Novels
- Three DollarsThree Dollars (novel)Three Dollars is a novel by Australian writer Elliot Perlman, his first published novel. A movie of the same name based on the novel was released in 2005.-Plot summary:...
(1998) - Seven Types of Ambiguity (2003)
- The Street Sweeper (2011)
External links
- Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man at barristers.com.au
- Q & A with Elliot Perlman at the State Library of VictoriaState Library of VictoriaThe State Library of Victoria is the central library of the state of Victoria, Australia, located in Melbourne. It is on the block bounded by Swanston, La Trobe, Russell, and Little Lonsdale streets, in the northern centre of the central business district...
website
