 Chatwin 's bestseller , The Songlines , has been the focus of much criticism . Some critics describe his viewpoint as " colonialist " , citing his lack of interviews with Aboriginals and his reliance instead on white Australians for information about Aboriginal culture . Other criticism comes from anthropologists and other researchers who spent years studying Aboriginal culture and who dismiss Chatwin 's work because he visited Australia briefly . There are others , such as writer Thomas Keneally , who believe The Songlines should be widely read in Australia , where many people had not previously heard of the songlines . 
