Education
Born in the Sydney suburb of Lakemba, Cook attended Fort Street High School.
( "A true dark classic of Australian literature."— J. M. ...)
"A true dark classic of Australian literature."— J. M. Coetzee, winner of the Nobel Prize Wake in Fright is the original and greatest outback horror story. It tells the tale of John Grant's journey into an alcoholic, sexual, and spiritual nightmare. Outback town Bundanyabba and its citizens will forever haunt you.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1921922168/?tag=2022091-20
(May you dream of the devil and wake in fright. John Gra...)
May you dream of the devil and wake in fright. John Grant knows he's in hell. What he doesn't know is how to escape. A young school teacher, Grant is returning to Sydney for the holidays, but must spend a night in an outback mining town on the way. He is introduced to the illegal two-up gambling ring and quickly loses all his money. In the company of some hard-bitten and disturbing locals he is drawn into a frightening spiral of alcohol and drugs that takes him to the darkest depths of the male psyche. Forty years since it first appeared this novel remains fresh, compelling and utterly gripping. With an introduction by Peter Temple, and an afterword by acclaimed film critic David Stratton, this edition celebrates the re-release of the film adaptation, a cinematic classic, digitally restored and returned to the big screen in 2009. 'Cook writes astonishingly well, with a fierce economy and a frightening power of visualization.' New York Times
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1921520604/?tag=2022091-20
(I Can Jump Puddles, by Alan Marshall; Wake in Fright, by ...)
I Can Jump Puddles, by Alan Marshall; Wake in Fright, by Kenneth Cook; The Fringe Dwellers, by Nene Gare; The Breaker, by Kit Denton (Great Australian Writers)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0706432517/?tag=2022091-20
( The Film Ink series presents the novels that inspired t...)
The Film Ink series presents the novels that inspired the work of some of the most celebrated directors of our time. While each novel is first and foremost a classic in its own right, these books offer the dedicated cinephile a richer understanding of the most illustrious films of American and European cinema. Wake In Fright was first published in 1961 and the film version, The Outback, starring Donald Pleasance was released in 1971. Both the book and the film have achieved a cult status as the Australian answer to US and UK novels and films of 1960s youthful alienation. It is the gruelling story of a young Australian schoolteacher on his way back from the outback to Sydney and civilization when things start to go wrong. He finds himself stuck overnight in Bundanyabba, a rough outback mining town. An ill-advised and drink-fuelled visit to a gambling den leaves Grant broke and he realizes he has no way of escaping. He descends into a cycle of hangovers, fumbling sexual encounters, and increasing self-loathing as he becomes more and more immersed in the grotesque and surreal nightmare that his life has become.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/185375482X/?tag=2022091-20
director journalist screenwriter writer
Born in the Sydney suburb of Lakemba, Cook attended Fort Street High School.
After leaving school he worked around Australia in a variety of jobs including laboratory technician, journalist and television documentary-maker, and boatshed operator. Cook was vehemently opposed to the Vietnam War, and stood (unsuccessfully) as an LRG candidate for the seat of Parramatta in the 1966 federal election. A keen amateur lepidopterist, Cook established the first butterfly farm in Australia on the banks of Sydney"s Hawkesbury River in the 1970s.
Several of Cook"s novels were adapted for the screen.
Wake in Fright was filmed in 1971 by Ted Kotcheff, starring Donald Pleasence and Gary Bond (released under the title Outback in Europe and the United States). Stockade was filmed by Ross McGregor and Hans Pomeranz, also in 1971.
In 1976 The Bushranger was made into a telemovie, starring Leonard Teale, John Hamblin and Kate Fitzpatrick. Cook also wrote one episode of the Australian television children"s adventure series The Rovers (1970).
In 2007 Cook"s novel The Manitoba Underground was adapted as a radio drama by American Broadcasting Company Radio National.
A 72-minute audio interview with Cook by Hazel de Berg was recorded in 1972, in which he discusses his family, his work for the American Broadcasting Company, the background to Wake in Fright, his ventures into film production and his novels. The interview is preserved in the collection of the National Library of Australia. Cook"s literary estate is managed by Curtis Brown Australia.
(I Can Jump Puddles, by Alan Marshall; Wake in Fright, by ...)
( The Film Ink series presents the novels that inspired t...)
( "A true dark classic of Australian literature."— J. M. ...)
(May you dream of the devil and wake in fright. John Gra...)
In 1966, with businessman Gordon Barton, Cook founded a new political party, the Liberal Reform Group.