Tim Winton is a West Australian author who has several times been listed for the Booker Prize. His first novel, An Open Swimmer, was published in 1982, when he was only 22. After a number of novels, he published Cloud Street (1991), a work of distinctively Australian magic realism which proved a tremendous success. The Riders (1994), nominated for the Booker, and the exceptionally popular Dirt Music (2001), also nominated, established his unquestionable status as Australia's most popular author. In addition to various works of non-fiction - for example Down to Earth, his collaboration with West Australian photographer Richard Woldendorp - his six books for children have ensured his exposure at all levels. Cloud Street was one of only two Australian books in the top ten of the ABC's list of Australia's Most Popular Books in 2004. Winton is designated a Living National Treasure.
