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Richard Flanagan - 'WANTING'

Tasmanian writer Richard Flanagan was a writer of history before turning his hand to fiction. His first novel 'Death of A River Guide' was set on the Franklin River, a river close to his heart. His second novel 'Sound of One hand Clapping' revolved around Slovenian migrants in his native Tasmania, and was made into a movie screening at the prestigious Berlin Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Golden Bear award. Two other novels followed 'Gould's Book of Fish' an exquisite production in hardcover, with pictures of fish interleaved in the text and won the Commonwealth writers prize in 2002. "Unknown Terrorist" was published to great acclaim in 2006 and the only one of his books to be set in Sydney, it was seen as a response to the then Howard governments policies on terrorism and migration of which Richard was a harsh critic.

'Wanting' is a return to Tasmania and opens in 1837 with a young Aboriginal girl running to fetch help for her Father.... it is a novel of art, love and the way in which life is finally determined, never by reason but only ever by wanting.