Songs from the Firefront: a deeply moving memoir in essays from the two-time Booker Prize nominee
Nov 2026 · Pan Macmillan
Ebook
352
Pages
family_home
Eligible
info
infoThis book will become available on November 5, 2026. You will not be charged until it is released.
About this ebook
How do we keep going in a burning world? Songs from the Firefront is a vital and moving memoir in essays from Tim Winton, twice Booker Prize-shortlisted author of Cloudstreet and The Riders.
A memoir in essays, Songs from the Firefront is a book about the sacred fragility of existence. Deeply personal, brimming with anger and humour and love – for family, for the beautiful, brutal Australian landscape – Tim Winton’s writing invites you into the world of one of our greatest living writers.
Here he admits to stupidity alone in a vast canyon, paddleboards out to sea to visit the local dugong population, and tells of the horror and sadness of watching as his neighbourhood is lost to bush fires. He tells the story of how he became friends with Helen Garner, the travelling that allowed him to write Cloudstreet, and about the act of unconditional love a father might agree to after his beloved daughter has delivered her child.
From memories of his own childhood to what he sees in his grandchildren’s future, Songs from the Firefront is a profound book about the world we live in and what we can hope to pass on. It’s a call for solidarity and a testament to the deep joys and sorrows of family life.
Praise for Tim Winton:
‘To read Winton is to be reminded not just of the possibilities of fiction but of the human heart’ – The Times
‘Winton is just one of the best’ – Independent
‘Winton is a one-man band of genius’ – Los Angeles Times
‘Tim Winton is the real thing’ – Scotland on Sunday
A memoir in essays, Songs from the Firefront is a book about the sacred fragility of existence. Deeply personal, brimming with anger and humour and love – for family, for the beautiful, brutal Australian landscape – Tim Winton’s writing invites you into the world of one of our greatest living writers.
Here he admits to stupidity alone in a vast canyon, paddleboards out to sea to visit the local dugong population, and tells of the horror and sadness of watching as his neighbourhood is lost to bush fires. He tells the story of how he became friends with Helen Garner, the travelling that allowed him to write Cloudstreet, and about the act of unconditional love a father might agree to after his beloved daughter has delivered her child.
From memories of his own childhood to what he sees in his grandchildren’s future, Songs from the Firefront is a profound book about the world we live in and what we can hope to pass on. It’s a call for solidarity and a testament to the deep joys and sorrows of family life.
Praise for Tim Winton:
‘To read Winton is to be reminded not just of the possibilities of fiction but of the human heart’ – The Times
‘Winton is just one of the best’ – Independent
‘Winton is a one-man band of genius’ – Los Angeles Times
‘Tim Winton is the real thing’ – Scotland on Sunday
How do we keep going in a burning world? Songs from the Firefront is a vital and moving memoir in essays from Tim Winton, twice Booker Prize-shortlisted author of Cloudstreet and The Riders.
A memoir in essays, Songs from the Firefront is a book about the sacred fragility of existence. Deeply pe...
Discover more
About the author
Tim Winton is widely considered one of the greatest living Australian writers. Since his first novel, An Open Swimmer, won the Australian/Vogel Award in 1981, he has won the Miles Franklin Award four times (for Shallows, Cloudstreet, Dirt Music and Breath) and twice been shortlisted for the Booker Prize (for The Riders and Dirt Music). In 2023 he was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to literature as an author and novelist, to conservation, and to environmental advocacy. He lives in Western Australia.
Tim Winton is widely considered one of the greatest living Australian writers. Since his first novel, An Open Swimmer, won the Australian/Vogel Award in 1981, he has won the Miles Franklin Award four times (for Shallows, Cloudstreet, Dirt Music and Breath) and twice been shortlisted for the Booke...
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
