Yilkari by Nicolas Rothwell - ISBN: 9781923058422
Paperback
Desert journeys, hidden maps, and secrets whispered in starlight.

$33.35

  • Paperback

    256 pages

  • Release Date

    29 July 2025

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Summary

The new genre-defying book from the two-time Prime Minister’s Award winning author of Red Heaven and Belomor.

A Siberian composer named Valentin comes to a remote roadhouse in the Western Desert to find the narrator of Yilkari, whom he first met the night the Berlin Wall fell. They travel on together, leading us deeper into the desert in this mesmerising, unclassifiable book, co-written by the prize-winning author Nicolas Rothwell and his wife, the acclaimed artist Alison Nampitjinpa …

Book Details

ISBN-13:9781923058422
ISBN-10:1923058428
Author:Nicolas Rothwell, Alison Nampitjinpa Anderson
Publisher:Text Publishing
Imprint:The Text Publishing Company
Format:Paperback
Number of Pages:256
Release Date:29 July 2025
Weight:416g
Dimensions:26mm x 351mm x 161mm
What They're Saying

Critics Review

‘Remarkable.’ * Age *
‘This is a book that invites reflection and makes you wonder…A compelling read for anyone interested in literature that explores identity and spirituality.’ * Books+Publishing *
‘Reading it once is just the beginning.’ * Stephen Romei, Saturday Paper *
‘A fascinating journey of awakening and spiritual discovery.’ * Jason Steger, Age Booklist *
‘Telling and powerful…A stunning work of living landscapes, of dreaming, of storytelling to pass on to generations.’ * Weekend Australian *
‘Asymptotic, hypnotic, mythic, Yilkari captivatingly defies classification…Recommended reading.’ * Sydney Arts Guide *
‘The most transformative novel you’ll read this year…Singular, closely written and memorable.’ * RNZ: Nine to Noon *
Yilkari’s central idea is that Australia’s interior spaces are—spiritually—both impenetrable and menacing…These sparsely populated spaces embody the ineffable, powerful and unforgiving spirits of all who have dwelt there over thousands of years.’ * Conversation *
‘Mesmerising.’ * Law Society Journal *
‘Fascinating and candid…It carries the reader into sacred country.’ * Adelaide Advertiser *
‘The book you should be reading…A rare and deeply felt guide to Country and a search for belonging, with stretches of soaring, magisterial expansiveness.’ * Qantas Magazine *
‘Extraordinary, mesmeric, enigmatic’ * Matilda Bookshop Review *
‘…beautiful, mesmerising, and form-defying novel…I found myself blissfully lost in the meandering journeys of Yilkari’s characters and their deeply contemplative conversations.’ * Paul Daley, Australian Book Review *
‘Truly unique.’ * Westsider *
‘A haunting dream about our nature.’ * Conversation: Best Books of 2025 *
‘A masterpiece…every Australian should read.’ * Stephen Romei, Australian Book Review *

About The Author

Nicolas Rothwell

Nicolas Rothwell is the author of Quicksilver, which won a Prime Minister’s Literary Award, Belomor, and five other books. He lives in northern Australia.

Alison Nampitjinpa Anderson is a Luritja-Pintupi woman from the Western Desert community of Papunya. She is a prominent artist.

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