Literary Birthday – 4 August – Tim Winton

Happy Birthday, Tim Winton, born on 4 August 1960.

Tim Winton Quotes

1. Writing a book is a bit like surfing. Most of the time you’re waiting. And it’s quite pleasant, sitting in the water waiting. But you are expecting that the result of a storm over the horizon, in another time zone, usually, days old, will radiate out in the form of waves. And eventually, when they show up, you turn around and ride that energy to the shore. It’s a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you’re lucky, it’s also about grace. As a writer, you roll up to the desk every day, and then you sit there, waiting, in the hope that something will come over the horizon. And then you turn around and ride it, in the form of a story.
2. I don’t think the novelist has any more moral obligation than any other citizen, but I think all citizens, you know, live in a moral universe and I think they’re responsible, morally, for all their actions.
3. The best I can hope for is that I’m moved by the experience of living through the writing of the book, which takes infinitely longer than it takes to read, and that if I still have some residual feeling about everyone in the book then maybe there’s some hope. Mind you, I am so over them by the time I’m finished that there’s not much feeling. They’re like people that I used to love.
4. It’s the pointless things that give your life meaning. Friendship, compassion, art, love. All of them pointless. But they’re what keeps life from being meaningless.
5. We rise to a challenge and set a course. We take a decision. You put your mind to something. Just deciding to do it gets you halfway there. Daring to try.
6. Everyone will tell you your goal is impossible, pointless, stupid, wasteful. So you hang tough. You back yourself and only yourself.

Tim Winton is an Australian author and environmental activist. He has written novels, children’s books, non-fiction books, and short stories. His books include Cloudstreet, The Riders, and Dirt Music. In 1997, he was named a Living Treasure by the National Trust of Australia, and, among many other awards, has won the Miles Franklin Award four times. He was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2023.  His 2024 climate fiction novel Juice takes a look at the impact of climate change. Follow him on Facebook: Tim Winton

Image source: DAEaton, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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