Alison Croggon
Encyclopedia
Alison Croggon is a contemporary Australian poet
, playwright
, fantasy novelist, and librettist.
, South Africa
, Alison Croggon's family moved to England before settling in Australia, first in Ballarat then Melbourne
. She has worked as a journalist for the Sydney Morning Herald. Her first volume of poetry, This is the Stone, won the Anne Elder Award
and the Mary Gilmore Prize
. Her novella Navigatio was recommended in the 1995 The Australian/Vogel Literary Award
and all four novels of the fantasy genre
series Pellinor
have been published. She also edits the online writing magazine Masthead and writes theatre criticism.
Croggon has also written libretti for Michael Smetanin's operas Gauguin and The Burrow which premiered respectively at the 2000 Melbourne Festival and Perth Festival, produced by ChamberMade. Other poems by her have been set to music by Smetanin, Christine McCombe, Margaret Legge-Wilkinson and Andrée Greenwell. Her plays have been produced by the Melbourne Festival, The Red Shed Company (Adelaide
) and ABC Radio
.
She currently lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband and three children.
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, fantasy novelist, and librettist.
Life
Born in the TransvaalTransvaal Province
Transvaal Province was a province of the Union of South Africa from 1910 to 1961, and of its successor, the Republic of South Africa, from 1961 until the end of apartheid in 1994 when a new constitution subdivided it.-History:...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Alison Croggon's family moved to England before settling in Australia, first in Ballarat then Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. She has worked as a journalist for the Sydney Morning Herald. Her first volume of poetry, This is the Stone, won the Anne Elder Award
Anne Elder Award
The Anne Elder Trust Fund Award for poetry is administered by the Victorian branch of the Fellowship of Australian Writers and is awarded annually, as the Anne Elder Award, for the best first book of poetry published in Australia. It was established in 1976 and currently has a prize of A$1000 for...
and the Mary Gilmore Prize
Mary Gilmore Prize
The Mary Gilmore Prize for the best first book of poetry is given to a first book of poetry from the previous two years; prior to 1998 it was awarded annually...
. Her novella Navigatio was recommended in the 1995 The Australian/Vogel Literary Award
The Australian/Vogel Literary Award
The Australian/Vogel Literary Award is an Australian literary award for unpublished manuscripts by writers under the age of 35. The prize money, currently A$20,000, is the richest and most prestigious award for an unpublished manuscript in Australia...
and all four novels of the fantasy genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
series Pellinor
Pellinor
Pellinor is a fantasy series by Australian author Alison Croggon, spanning four books, the last of which was released in June 2008 in Australia, September 2008 in the UK and March 2009 in the USA....
have been published. She also edits the online writing magazine Masthead and writes theatre criticism.
Croggon has also written libretti for Michael Smetanin's operas Gauguin and The Burrow which premiered respectively at the 2000 Melbourne Festival and Perth Festival, produced by ChamberMade. Other poems by her have been set to music by Smetanin, Christine McCombe, Margaret Legge-Wilkinson and Andrée Greenwell. Her plays have been produced by the Melbourne Festival, The Red Shed Company (Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
) and ABC Radio
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
.
She currently lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband and three children.
Awards and nominations
- 2009 Pascall PrizePascall PrizeThe Pascall Prize: Australian 'Critic of the Year is an annual Australian award for critical writing and review, awarded to a critic whose work over the previous 12 to 18 months has contributed significantly to public appreciation, enjoyment and understanding of the area or areas of the arts in...
for Critical Writing for her blog Theatre Notes