Richard Flanagan, from the Preface to the Screenplay:
"To a small number of people it is well known that my writing of the screenplay of 'The Sound Of One Hand Clapping' preceded my writing of the novel of the same name. Less well known is that the two events then continued concurrently, that the screenplay was reworked as the novel was rewritten, that when I came to cut the film I undertook this labour during the day, only of a night then to edit the novel. It may be of interest to some, as it was of fascination to me, to observe how all this tended not to make the two works more similar, but less so; each form offering liberties denied in the other."
The novel of 'The Sound Of One Hand Clapping' has now achieved cult status since its publication in 1997. It has won the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Fiction in 1998, was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin of that year, and won the APA Design Award and the Bookseller's Choice award in 1999. It has firmly put Richard Flanagan on the map as one of Australia's most successful literary exports.
This film script reflects both the differences and similarities of the book. It is, however, entirely true to the final cut of the feature film, which was released to international acclaim. It also includes a forthright essay on film versus novel, written by Richard Flanagan.
