In this remarkable work of nonfiction, Australia's greatest novelist takes us behind the scenes, sharing the extraordinarily powerful true stories that have influenced his view of the world and fuelled his fiction.

Like those of his characters, Tim Winton's life has been shaped by havoc. The Boy Behind the Curtain shows the unexpected links between car crashes and religious faith, between surfing and writing, and how going to the wrong movie at the age of eight opened him up to a life of the imagination. Behind it all, from risk-taking youth to surprise-averse middle age, has been the crazy punt of staking everything on becoming a writer.

By turns impassioned, funny, joyous, astonishing, Winton's most intimate book to date is an insight into the man who's held us enthralled for decades.