 Chatwin published The Songlines in 1987, and it became a bestseller in both the United Kingdom and the United States. The book was nominated for the Thomas Cook Travel Award, but Chatwin requested that it be withdrawn from consideration, saying the work was fictional. Following its publication, Chatwin became friends with composer Kevin Volans, who was inspired to base a theatre score on the book. The project evolved into an opera, The Man with Footsoles of Wind (1993).
