Christopher Koch
Encyclopedia
Christopher John Koch, AO
, Australian novelist, was born in Hobart in 1932. He has twice won the Miles Franklin Award
. In 1995 he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for contribution to Australian literature.
His novel The Year of Living Dangerously
, set in Jakarta
during the fall of the Sukarno
regime, was made into a film directed by Peter Weir
and starring Sigourney Weaver
, Mel Gibson
and Linda Hunt
. The book was loosely inspired by his brother's (Philip Koch) experience as an Australian journalist in Indonesia during that period.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
, Australian novelist, was born in Hobart in 1932. He has twice won 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 ...
. In 1995 he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for contribution to Australian literature.
His novel The Year of Living Dangerously
The Year of Living Dangerously
The Year of Living Dangerously is a 1982 Peter Weir film adapted from the novel The Year of Living Dangerously by the author Christopher Koch. The story is about a love affair set in Indonesia during the overthrow of President Sukarno...
, set in Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
during the fall of the Sukarno
Sukarno
Sukarno, born Kusno Sosrodihardjo was the first President of Indonesia.Sukarno was the leader of his country's struggle for independence from the Netherlands and was Indonesia's first President from 1945 to 1967...
regime, was made into a film directed by Peter Weir
Peter Weir
Peter Lindsay Weir, AM is an Australian film director. After playing a leading role in the Australian New Wave cinema with his films such as Picnic at Hanging Rock, The Last Wave and Gallipoli, Weir directed a diverse group of American and international films—many of them major box office...
and starring Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver is an American actress. She is best known for her critically acclaimed role of Ellen Ripley in the four Alien films: Alien, Aliens, Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection, for which she has received worldwide recognition .Other notable roles include Dana...
, Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson
Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
and Linda Hunt
Linda Hunt
Linda Hunt is an American film, stage and television actress. After making her film debut playing Mrs. Oxheart in Popeye , Hunt portrayed Billy Kwan, her breakthrough performance in The Year of Living Dangerously...
. The book was loosely inspired by his brother's (Philip Koch) experience as an Australian journalist in Indonesia during that period.
Awards
| 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 ... |
The Doubleman, winner 1985 |
| Highways to a War, winner 1996 | |
| The Memory Room, longlisted 2008 | |
| 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... Award |
The Year of Living Dangerously, 1978 Imaginative Writing Prize winner; 1978 Book of the Year, joint winner |
| National Book Council Award for Australian Literature | The Year of Living Dangerously, 1979 |
| Colin Roderick Award Colin Roderick Award The Colin Roderick Award is presented annually by the Foundation for Australian Literary Studies at Queensland's James Cook University for "the best book published in Australia which deals with any aspect of Australian life". It was first presented in 1967 and currently has a prize of A$10,000.... |
Out of Ireland, 1999 |
| Victorian Premier's Literary Award Victorian Premier's Literary Award The Victorian Premier's Literary Awards were created by the Victorian Governmentwith the aim of raising the profile of contemporary creative writing and Australia's publishing industry.... |
Out of Ireland, 2000 |
Books
- The Boys in the Island (1958, revised ed, Angus & Robertson, 1974)
- Across the Sea Wall (Heinemann, 1965)
- The Year of Living DangerouslyThe Year of Living Dangerously (novel)The Year of Living Dangerously is a novel by Christopher Koch, which was made into a film in 1982, directed by Peter Weir and written by Koch, Weir, and David Williamson....
(Nelson, 1978) - The DoublemanThe DoublemanThe Doubleman is a Miles Franklin Award winning novel by Australian author Christopher Koch.-References:*...
(Chatto and Windus, 1985) - Crossing the Gap: a novelist’s essays (Hogarth Press, 1993)
- Highways to a WarHighways to a WarHighways to a War is a Miles Franklin Award-winning novel by Australian author Christopher Koch.In an interview in 2000, Koch noted that this novel, and his later work Out of Ireland, formed a diptych called Beware of the Past.-Plot summary:...
(Heinemann, 1995) - Out of Ireland (Doubleday, 1999)
- The Memory Room (2007)