Stillwater Creek

Research Background This thoroughly researched novel by Alison Booth aimed to present the perspectives of six characters in order to create a multicultural, multi-faceted but at the same time emotionally involving narrative encompassing themes of social change in 1950s Australia. Research Contribution Set in 1957, Stillwater Creek combines layered multiple stories and characters into a novel with pace and momentum. The work pays particular attention to the role of various cultural translators, who are not only at the boundaries of societies reaching across cultural divides, but are also critical to the framing of meaning as it passes to and from different cultural worlds. The novel offers an opportunity to reflect on the ongoing problem of the relationship of peoples lives to wider social changes. Research Significance The significance of this research lies in its exploration not only of the importance of cultural brokers in 1950s Australia, but also of the impact of wider social changes on peoples lives. Its value is attested to by the following indicators: selection of the novel for inclusion in the 2010 Sydney Writers Festival; its translation into French as Les Rivages du Souvenir; its subsequent publication in two Readers Digest Select Editions (South-East Asia and the UK); its takeup by a French Book Club France Loisirs; the invitation of the publisher Random House Australia to Alison Booth to write a sequel; and the novels Highly Commended status in the 2011 ACT Book of the Year Award.