John Marsden is an
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n
writerA writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
,
teacherA teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
and school
principalA head teacher or school principal is the most senior teacher, leader and manager of a school....
. Marsden has had his books translated into nine languages including Swedish, Norwegian, French, German, Dutch, Danish, Italian and Spanish.
Marsden was born in Victoria, Australia and spent his early life in
Kyneton, VictoriaKyneton is a town on the Calder Highway in the Macedon Ranges of Victoria, Australia. The Calder Freeway bypasses Kyneton to the north and east. The town was named after the English village of Kineton, Warwickshire. The town has three main streets: Mollison Street, Piper Street and High Street...
,
Devonport, Tasmania-Sport:The Devonport Football Club is an Australian Rules team competing in the Tasmanian Statewide League. The Devonport Rugby Club is a Rugby Union team competing in the Tasmanian Rugby Union Statewide League...
and Sydney, New South Wales. At age 28, after working several jobs, Marsden began a teaching course. Whilst working as a teacher, Marsden began writing for children, and had his first book,
So Much To Tell YouSo Much To Tell You is a young adult novel by Australian author John Marsden, first published in 1987. It was his debut book. It was instantly successful in Australia and the US, and has since been translated into nine languages and awarded many highly acclaimed literary awards including the...
, published in 1987. Since then, he has written or edited over 40 books and has sold over 5 million books throughout the world.
In 2006, Marsden started an
alternative schoolAlternative school is the name used in some parts of the world to describe an institution which provides part of alternative education. It is an educational establishment with a curriculum and methods that are nontraditional...
, Candlebark School in the Macedon Ranges, in which he is the school principal. Marsden has since reduced his writing to focus on teaching and running the school.
Early life
Marsden was born in Melbourne, Australia but spent the first 10 years of his life living in the country towns of
Kyneton, VictoriaKyneton is a town on the Calder Highway in the Macedon Ranges of Victoria, Australia. The Calder Freeway bypasses Kyneton to the north and east. The town was named after the English village of Kineton, Warwickshire. The town has three main streets: Mollison Street, Piper Street and High Street...
and
Devonport, Tasmania-Sport:The Devonport Football Club is an Australian Rules team competing in the Tasmanian Statewide League. The Devonport Rugby Club is a Rugby Union team competing in the Tasmanian Rugby Union Statewide League...
. When he was 10 years old, Marsden moved to
SydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and attended The King's School, Parramatta. Following his time there, Marsden was accepted into Sydney University to study a double degree in
LawLaw is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
and
ArtsaRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
, and attended university despite being confused about what he wanted to do. However, Marsden struggled during his time there, and due to a sense of alienation and loneliness deriving from family rifts, educational experiences, and simply disliking law, he dropped out.
After leaving University, Marsden became
depressedDepression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless...
, and attributes this depression in part to his inability to find a job that suited him. As his depression deteriorated into suicidal thoughts, Marsden began seeing a psychiatrist. His psychiatrist eventually admitted him to a
psychiatric hospitalPsychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
following a diagnosis of depression.
Marsden credits his stint in the psychiatric hospital as an important period in his life:
After his stint in hospital, Marsden continued to take on many different jobs, and through his 20s Marsden worked in as many as 32 different jobs, including an abattoir, working in a mortuary, delivering pizzas, working as a motorbike courier, working as a nightwatchman, selling encyclopaedias and working with chickens.
Following this period of drifting, Marsden decided, in 1978, to try a teaching career. Marsden claims to have always had an inkling that he may try teaching, and from the first day of his teaching course Marsden was confident that this was the career that suited him.
Early career
Whilst working at the prestigious
Geelong Grammar SchoolGeelong Grammar School is an independent, Anglican, co-educational, boarding and day school. The school's main campus is located at Corio, on the northern outskirts of Geelong, Victoria, Australia, overlooking Corio Bay and Limeburners Bay....
, Marsden made the decision to write for teenagers, following his dissatisfaction with his students' apathy towards reading, or the observation that teenagers simply weren't reading anymore. Marsden then wrote
So Much To Tell YouSo Much To Tell You is a young adult novel by Australian author John Marsden, first published in 1987. It was his debut book. It was instantly successful in Australia and the US, and has since been translated into nine languages and awarded many highly acclaimed literary awards including the...
in only three weeks, and the book was published in 1987. The book was eagerly received by teenagers, sold record numbers and won numerous awards including "Book of the Year" as awarded by the
Children's Book Council of AustraliaThe Children's Book Council of Australia is a not for profit organisation which aims to engage the community with literature for young Australians. The CBCA presents annual awards for books of literary merit, for outstanding contribution to Australian children's literature.-Awards:The first...
.
Later career
Following the publication of
So Much To Tell You, Marsden claims that his life "took off". Marsden had five books published in the next five years, whilst working as a full-time teacher and before writing the first of the
TomorrowThe Tomorrow series is a series of seven young adult invasion novels written by Australian writer John Marsden, detailing a high-intensity invasion and occupation of Australia by a foreign power...
series.
Marsden's highest selling book,
Tomorrow, When the War Began has sold between 2 and 3 millions of copies throughout the world, and has been reprinted 26 times in Australia alone. In 2000, the Swedish Government paid to have
Tomorrow, When the War Began distributed to every child of appropriate age in the country after it was selected by their peers as the book reluctant readers would be most likely to enjoy.
Marsden went on to write seven books in the
Tomorrow Series, together with a follow-up trilogy, The Ellie Chronicles despite originally intending for the entire series to only consist of a trilogy.
At the same time as writing the
Tomorrow Series, Marsden wrote several other novels such as
Checkers, edited works such as
This I Believe, wrote children's picture books such as
The Rabbits, poetry such as
Prayer For The Twenty-First Century and non-fiction works such as
Everything I Know About Writing and
Secret Men's Business.
Themes
Marsden's earlier works are largely novels aimed at teenage or young adult audience. Common themes in Marsden's works include sexuality, violence in society, survival at school and in a harsh world, and conflict with adult authority figures. However, Marsden also has declared that he wishes to write about "things that have always been important for humans... [such as] love, for a start. And the absence of love. The way people relate to each other. The way people solve problems. Courage. Spirit. The human spirit."
Awards and commendations
Marsden has won every major writing award in Australia for young people’s fiction including what Marsden describes as one of the highlights of his career, the 2006 Lloyd O'Neil Award for contributions to Australian publishing. This award means that Marsden is one of only five authors to be honoured for lifelong services to the Australian book industry. John Marsden was also nominated for the
Astrid Lindgren Memorial AwardThe Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award is an international children's literature award, established by the Swedish government in 2002 in honour of the Swedish children's books writer Astrid Lindgren...
in 2008, the world's largest children's and youth literature award, and the second largest literature prize in the world.
Internationally, he has twice been named among Best Books of the Year by the
American Library AssociationThe American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
and once by
Publishers’ Weekly (USA)Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
, has been runner-up for Dutch Children’s Book of the Year and short-listed for the German Young Readers’ Award, won the Grand Jury Prize as Austria’s Most Popular Writer for Teenagers, and won the coveted Buxtehuder Bulle in Germany. However, despite his number of awards, Marsden has said that he generally does not care about awards (with the exception of the Lloyd O'Neil Award and The Melbourne Prize for Literature).
In 1996, Marsden's books took the top six places on the Teenage Fiction best-seller lists for Australia. Also in 1996, he was named 'Australia's most popular author today in any literary field' by
The Australian newspaper. In 1997 Australian readers voted three of his books into Australia's 100 most-loved books of all time.
The Tomorrow Series
| Title | Year | Notes |
| Tomorrow, When the War Began |
1993 |
- Winner, Australian Multicultural Children's Book Award 1994
- Selected, American Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
list of Best Books for Young Adults 1996
- Selected, American Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
list of 100 Best Books for Teens 1966-2000
- Selected, American Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
list of Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults 1998, Nominated 2011
- Winner, Fanfare Horn Book Best Book 1996
- Winner, Children's Yearly Best-Ever Reads (CYBER) Best Book for Older Readers 2000, 2001, 2002
- Selected, Whitcoulls
Whitcoulls is a major national bookstore chain in New Zealand, formerly known as Whitcombe & Tombs. It has 62 stores nationally. Whitcombe & Tombs was founded in 1888, and Coulls Somerville Wilkie in 1871. The companies merged in 1971 to form Whitcoulls...
top 100 books, 2008 (No. 63)
- Selected, COOL Awards (Canberra's Own Outstanding List) 1995
- Winner, KOALA (Kids Own Australian Literature Awards) 1995
- Winner, YABBA (Young Australian Best Book Award) 1995
- Winner, WAYRBA (West Australian Young Readers' Books Award) 1995
- Winner, BILBY Awards (Books I Love Best Yearly) 1998
- Nominated, South Carolina Book Award 1998
- Winner, New South Wales Talking Book Award
|
| The Dead of the Night |
1994 |
Notable Book, CBCA CBCA can refer to:*Commercial Bank Centrafrique*Children's Book Council of Australia...
Children's Book of the Year Award: Older ReadersThe Children's Book of the Year Award: Older Readers has been presented annually since 1946 by the Children's Book Council of Australia . Note: from 1946 to 1986 this award was known as "Book of the Year"....
1995
Selected, COOL Awards (Canberra's Own Outstanding List) 1998 |
| Third Day, The Frost |
1995 |
Winner, Buxtehude Bull Prize 1999
Notable Book, CBCA CBCA can refer to:*Commercial Bank Centrafrique*Children's Book Council of Australia...
Children's Book of the Year Award: Older ReadersThe Children's Book of the Year Award: Older Readers has been presented annually since 1946 by the Children's Book Council of Australia . Note: from 1946 to 1986 this award was known as "Book of the Year"....
1996
Winner, WAYRBA (West Australian Young Readers' Books Award) 1998
Selected, COOL Awards (Canberra's Own Outstanding List) 1999
Also titled A Killing Frost |
| Darkness, be my Friend |
1996 |
Notable Book, CBCA CBCA can refer to:*Commercial Bank Centrafrique*Children's Book Council of Australia...
Children's Book of the Year Award: Older ReadersThe Children's Book of the Year Award: Older Readers has been presented annually since 1946 by the Children's Book Council of Australia . Note: from 1946 to 1986 this award was known as "Book of the Year"....
1997 |
| Burning for Revenge |
1997 |
Notable Book, CBCA CBCA can refer to:*Commercial Bank Centrafrique*Children's Book Council of Australia...
Children's Book of the Year Award: Older ReadersThe Children's Book of the Year Award: Older Readers has been presented annually since 1946 by the Children's Book Council of Australia . Note: from 1946 to 1986 this award was known as "Book of the Year"....
1998
Winner, Bookdata/Australian Booksellers AssociationThe Australian Booksellers Association is the peak industry group representing all booksellers in Australia. The association has a diverse membership of chain, franchise, independent, campus and secondhand bookshops. It was formed in 1924 and incorporated as a not for profit association in...
Book of the Year Award 1997
Winner, WAYRBA (West Australian Young Readers' Books Award) 1999 |
| The Night is for Hunting |
1998 |
Selected, COOL Awards (Canberra's Own Outstanding List) 2000
Winner, WAYRBA (West Australian Young Readers' Books Award) 2000
Shortlisted, Bookdata/Australian Booksellers Association The Australian Booksellers Association is the peak industry group representing all booksellers in Australia. The association has a diverse membership of chain, franchise, independent, campus and secondhand bookshops. It was formed in 1924 and incorporated as a not for profit association in...
Book of the Year Award 1999 |
| The Other Side of Dawn |
1999 |
Notable Book, CBCA CBCA can refer to:*Commercial Bank Centrafrique*Children's Book Council of Australia...
Children's Book of the Year Award: Older ReadersThe Children's Book of the Year Award: Older Readers has been presented annually since 1946 by the Children's Book Council of Australia . Note: from 1946 to 1986 this award was known as "Book of the Year"....
2000
Winner, YABBA (Young Australian Best Book Award) 2000 |
| The Ellie Chronicles |
| While I live While I Live is a 1947 British drama film, directed by John Harlow. While I Live is best remembered for its musical theme "The Dream of Olwen" composed by Charles Williams, reprised at intervals throughout the film, which became hugely popular in its time and is still regularly performed...
|
2003 |
Notable Book, CBCA CBCA can refer to:*Commercial Bank Centrafrique*Children's Book Council of Australia...
Children's Book of the Year Award: Older ReadersThe Children's Book of the Year Award: Older Readers has been presented annually since 1946 by the Children's Book Council of Australia . Note: from 1946 to 1986 this award was known as "Book of the Year"....
2004 |
| Incurable |
2005 |
|
| Circle of Flight |
2006 |
|
Other works
| Title | Year | Notes |
So Much To Tell YouSo Much To Tell You is a young adult novel by Australian author John Marsden, first published in 1987. It was his debut book. It was instantly successful in Australia and the US, and has since been translated into nine languages and awarded many highly acclaimed literary awards including the...
|
1987 |
- Winner, CBCA
CBCA can refer to:*Commercial Bank Centrafrique*Children's Book Council of Australia...
Children's Book of the Year Award: Older ReadersThe Children's Book of the Year Award: Older Readers has been presented annually since 1946 by the Children's Book Council of Australia . Note: from 1946 to 1986 this award was known as "Book of the Year"....
1988
- Winner, Victorian Premier's Literary Award
The Victorian Premier's Literary Awards were created by the Victorian Governmentwith the aim of raising the profile of contemporary creative writing and Australia's publishing industry....
Alan Marshall Award 1988
- Winner, Christopher Award
The Christopher Award is presented to the producers, directors, and writers of books, motion pictures and television specials that "affirm the highest values of the human spirit"...
Books for Young People 1990
- Selected, American Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
list of Best Books for Young Adults 1990
- Selected, American Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
list of Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults 1999
- Winner, KOALA (Kids Own Australian Literature Awards) 1989
- Selected, COOL Awards (Canberra's Own Outstanding List) 1995
- Winner, Young Adult Book Award (New South Wales, Australia) 1998
|
| The Great Gatenby |
1989 |
|
| Staying Alive In Year 5 |
1990 |
|
| Out Of Time |
1990 |
Notable Book, CBCA CBCA can refer to:*Commercial Bank Centrafrique*Children's Book Council of Australia...
Children's Book of the Year Award: Older ReadersThe Children's Book of the Year Award: Older Readers has been presented annually since 1946 by the Children's Book Council of Australia . Note: from 1946 to 1986 this award was known as "Book of the Year"....
1991 |
| Letters from the Inside Letters From the Inside is a young adult novel written by Australian author John Marsden. It was first published in 1991.-Characters:*Tracey, a young troubled girl, is the protagonist of the book; her letters start the novel off. Tracey lies about her real life at first, but after she realizes she...
|
1991 |
Shortlisted, CBCA CBCA can refer to:*Commercial Bank Centrafrique*Children's Book Council of Australia...
Children's Book of the Year Award: Older ReadersThe Children's Book of the Year Award: Older Readers has been presented annually since 1946 by the Children's Book Council of Australia . Note: from 1946 to 1986 this award was known as "Book of the Year"....
1992
Winner, Fanfare Horn Book Best Book 1995
Winner, Grand Jury Prize for Australia's favourite young person's novel 1996
Selected, American Library AssociationThe American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
list of Best Books for Young Adults 1995
Selected, American Library AssociationThe American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
list of Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults 2002 |
| Take My Word For It |
1992 |
Shortlisted, CBCA CBCA can refer to:*Commercial Bank Centrafrique*Children's Book Council of Australia...
Children's Book of the Year Award: Older ReadersThe Children's Book of the Year Award: Older Readers has been presented annually since 1946 by the Children's Book Council of Australia . Note: from 1946 to 1986 this award was known as "Book of the Year"....
1993 |
| Looking For Trouble Looking for Trouble is a 1934 American crime film directed by William A. Wellman and starring Spencer Tracy, Jack Oakie and Constance Cummings. After he is rejected by a woman, a man leaves his safe job and joins a gang that robs banks.-Cast:...
|
1993 |
|
| Everything I Know About Writing |
1993 |
|
| Cool School |
1996 |
Winner, KOALA (Kids Own Australian Literature Awards) 1998 |
| Creep Street |
1996 |
|
| Checkers Checkers is a young adult novel by Australian author John Marsden. It was published in 1996 and 1998 by Houghton Mifflin and in 2000 by Laurel Leaf. It is Marsden's twelfth book.-Flash back plot:...
|
1996 |
Notable Book, CBCA CBCA can refer to:*Commercial Bank Centrafrique*Children's Book Council of Australia...
Children's Book of the Year Award: Older ReadersThe Children's Book of the Year Award: Older Readers has been presented annually since 1946 by the Children's Book Council of Australia . Note: from 1946 to 1986 this award was known as "Book of the Year"....
1997 |
| This I Believe |
1996 |
Editor |
| For Weddings and a Funeral |
1996 |
Editor |
| Dear Miffy |
1997 |
|
| Prayer for the Twenty-First Century |
1997 |
Notable Book, CBCA CBCA can refer to:*Commercial Bank Centrafrique*Children's Book Council of Australia...
Children's Book of the Year Award: Picture BookThe Children's Book of the Year Award: Picture Book has been presented annually since 1955 by the Children's Book Council of Australia .The Award "will be made to outstanding books of the Picture Book genre in which the author and illustrator achieve artistic and literary unity, or, in wordless...
1998 |
| Norton's Hut |
1998 |
Notable Book, CBCA CBCA can refer to:*Commercial Bank Centrafrique*Children's Book Council of Australia...
Children's Book of the Year Award: Picture BookThe Children's Book of the Year Award: Picture Book has been presented annually since 1955 by the Children's Book Council of Australia .The Award "will be made to outstanding books of the Picture Book genre in which the author and illustrator achieve artistic and literary unity, or, in wordless...
1999
Illustrated by Peter GouldthorpePeter Gouldthorpe is an Australian artist and illustrator who lives in Hobart, Tasmania.Gouldthorpe illustrated the Jack Bedson children's books Don't Get Burnt, Sheep Dogs and Nojyo ha Osawagi....
|
| The Rabbits |
1998 |
Winner, CBCA CBCA can refer to:*Commercial Bank Centrafrique*Children's Book Council of Australia...
Children's Book of the Year Award: Picture BookThe Children's Book of the Year Award: Picture Book has been presented annually since 1955 by the Children's Book Council of Australia .The Award "will be made to outstanding books of the Picture Book genre in which the author and illustrator achieve artistic and literary unity, or, in wordless...
1999
Illustrated by Shaun TanShaun Tan is the illustrator and author of award-winning children's books such as The Red Tree, The Lost Thing and The Arrival...
|
| The Journey |
1988 |
|
| Secret Men's Business |
1998 |
|
| Winter Winter is a 2000 young adult novel by John Marsden. A young woman searches for answers about her parents' death.-Plot summary:For twelve years Winter has been haunted. Her past, her memories, her feelings, will not leave her alone. And now, at sixteen, the time has come for her to act. Every...
|
2000 |
|
| Marsden on Marsden |
2000 |
|
| The Head Book |
2001 |
|
| Millie |
2002 |
Notable Book, CBCA CBCA can refer to:*Commercial Bank Centrafrique*Children's Book Council of Australia...
Children's Book of the Year Award: Picture BookThe Children's Book of the Year Award: Picture Book has been presented annually since 1955 by the Children's Book Council of Australia .The Award "will be made to outstanding books of the Picture Book genre in which the author and illustrator achieve artistic and literary unity, or, in wordless...
2003
Illustrated by Sally Rippin |
| The Magic Rainforest |
2002 |
|
| A Day In The Life Of Me |
2002 |
Illustrated by Craig Smith |
| The Boy You Brought Home |
2002 |
|
| A Roomful of Magic |
2004 |
Illustrated by Mark Jackson and Heather Potter |
| Hamlet: A Novel |
2008 |
|
| Home and Away |
2008 |
Honour Book, CBCA CBCA can refer to:*Commercial Bank Centrafrique*Children's Book Council of Australia...
Children's Book of the Year Award: Picture BookThe Children's Book of the Year Award: Picture Book has been presented annually since 1955 by the Children's Book Council of Australia .The Award "will be made to outstanding books of the Picture Book genre in which the author and illustrator achieve artistic and literary unity, or, in wordless...
2009
Illustrated by Matt Ottley |
External links