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Luke Davies

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Luke Davies
Davies in 2013
Born1962 (age 61–62)
NationalityAustralian
Alma materUniversity of Sydney (BA)

Luke Davies (born 1962) is an Australian writer of poetry, novels and screenplays. His best known works are Candy: A Novel of Love and Addiction (which was adapted for the screen in 2006) and the screenplay for the film Lion, which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Davies also co-wrote the screenplay for the film News of the World.

Life and career

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Davies studied Arts at the University of Sydney.[1]

His first poetry collection Four Plots for Magnets was published in 1982 by S. K. Kelen at Glandular Press. Long out of print, it was republished (with additional poetry and prose) by Pitt Street Poetry in 2013.[2] He co-wrote the screenplay for the 2006 film Candy with director Neil Armfield, based on his 1997 novel Candy. The film stars Heath Ledger and Abbie Cornish as struggling heroin addicts.[3] Davies himself overcame heroin addiction in 1990.[1]

Davies' other works include the novels Isabelle the Navigator and God of Speed, and several volumes of poetry – Four Plots for Magnets, Absolute Event Horizon, Running With Light, Totem and Interferon Psalms – as well as the chatbooks The Entire History of Architecture [...] and other love poems (Vagabond Press, 2001)[4] and The Feral Aphorisms (Vagabond Press, 2011).[5] Davies wrote the screenplays for Air (a 2009 short film which he also directed),[6] Life,[7] Lion,[8] and the Felix van Groeningen drama Beautiful Boy.[9] He wrote the screenplay for the 2020 film News of the World, adapted from Paulette Jiles' novel, starring Tom Hanks .[10]

Davies is also a film critic for The Monthly, and occasional book reviewer and essayist for other magazines and newspapers. In 2010, Davies won the John Curtin Prize for Journalism, at the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards,[11] for his essay The Penalty Is Death,[12] about the lives inside prison of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, two drug runners on Bali's death row. (They would be executed by firing squad, to great public controversy, in 2015.)[13]

His children's book, Magpie, was published by ABC Books in 2010.[citation needed]

In May 2017, the ABC Television program Australian Story profiled Davies' life in a two-part episode.[14][15]

Awards and nominations

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Bibliography

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b Jason Steger, "Love in the time of poetry", The Age, 21 August 2004, Review, p. 3
  2. ^ "Luke Davies: Four Plots For Magnets". PittStreetPoetry.com. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  3. ^ Bodey, Michael (12 September 2015). "James Dean film a lifeline for Aussie screenwriter Luke Davies". The Australian. News Corp Australia.
  4. ^ "Vagabond Press: Luke Davies, The Entire History of Architecture and other love poems". Vagabond Press. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  5. ^ "Vagabond Press: Luke Davies, The Feral Aphorisms". Vagabond Press. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  6. ^ "AIR by Luke Davies - The Masses". Wearethemasses.com. Archived from the original on 19 June 2018. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  7. ^ "Life review: 'a fascinating look at James Dean'". The Telegraph. 12 February 2015. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  8. ^ "'Lion': Film Review - TIFF 2016". Hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  9. ^ Hipes, Patrick (15 March 2017). "Amy Ryan Reunites With Steve Carell For Amazon's 'Beautiful Boy'". Deadline.com. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  10. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (11 May 2017). "Fox 2000 Wins Tom Hanks-Luke Davies 'News Of The World' Package". Deadline.com. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  11. ^ a b "Creative Victoria". archive.creative.vic.gov.au. 22 March 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2018.[dead link]
  12. ^ "The penalty is death". Themonthly.com.au. 2 September 2008. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  13. ^ "The Bali Nine Australian ringleaders". Bbc.com. 29 April 2015. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  14. ^ "Candy Man Part 1". Abc.net.au. 10 May 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  15. ^ "Candy Man Part 2". Abc.net.au. 17 May 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  16. ^ "Mildura Writers' Festival, Thursday 20 – Sunday 23 July 2006". Arts Festival 07 Mildura/Wentworth. Archived from the original on 8 June 2007. Retrieved 4 August 2007.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v "Luke Davies - Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  18. ^ "52nd Annual Southern California Journalism Awards" (PDF). Lapressclub.org.
  19. ^ Wyndham, Susan (23 July 2012). "There is a god, finds prizewinning poet". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  20. ^ Thorne, Will (7 November 2016). "'Fences,' 'Jackie,' 'La La Land' Among Winners at Hamilton Behind the Camera Awards". Variety.com. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  21. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (23 December 2016). "'Lion' Wins Screenplay Prize At Capri Film Festival". Deadline.com. Retrieved 5 August 2018.

References

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