''The Eye of the Storm'' is the ninth published novel by the Australian novelist and 1973 Nobel Prize-winner,

Patrick White Patrick Victor Martindale White (28 May 1912 – 30 September 1990) was a British-born Australian writer who published 12 novels, three short-story collections, and eight plays, from 1935 to 1987. White's fiction employs humour, florid prose, ...

. It tells the story of Elizabeth Hunter, the powerful matriarch of her family, who still maintains a destructive iron grip on those who come to say farewell to her in her final moments upon her deathbed. It is regarded as one of White's best novels, largely owing to the reputation it received from the

Swedish Academy The Swedish Academy ( sv, Svenska Akademien), founded in 1786 by King Gustav III of Sweden, Gustav III, is one of the Swedish Royal Academies, Royal Academies of Sweden. Its 18 members, who are elected for life, comprise the highest Swedish lang ...

when they specifically named it as the book that confirmed White's designation as a Literature Laureate.Lundkvist, Artur
The Nobel Prize in Literature 1973: Presentation Speech
''Nobel Lectures, Literature: 1968-1980.'' Eds. Tore Frängsmyr and Sture Allén. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Company.

Film adaptation

A film adaptation directed by

Fred Schepisi Frederic Alan Schepisi ( ; Kael, Pauline (1984). ''Taking It All In''. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. p. 55. born 26 December 1939) is an Australian film director, producer and screenwriter. His credits include ''The Chant of Jimmie B ...

and starring

Charlotte Rampling Tessa Charlotte Rampling (born 5 February 1946) is an English actress, known for her work in European arthouse films in English, French, and Italian. An icon of the Swinging Sixties, she began her career as a model. She was cast in the role ...

as Elizabeth Hunter and

Geoffrey Rush Geoffrey Roy Rush (born 6 July 1951) is an Australian actor. He is known for his Eccentricity (behavior), eccentric leading man roles on stage and screen. He is among 24 people who have won the Triple Crown of Acting, having received an Academy ...

and

Judy Davis Judith Davis (born 23 April 1955) is an Australian actress in film, television, and on stage. With a career spanning over 40 years, she has been commended for her versatility and regarded as one of the finest actresses of her generation. Frequen ...

as Elizabeth's children Basil and Dorothy was released in September 2011.

References

External links

Excerpts from the novel
at the ABC's "Why Bother With Patrick White?" archive.

at the ABC's "Why Bother With Patrick White?" archive. 1973 Australian novels Novels by Patrick White Novels set in Sydney Jonathan Cape books {{1970s-novel-stub