Publisher's synopsis
John Marsden is an Australian writer and teacher. He has been writing YA literature for three decades and has made an indelible mark on generations of readers and writers in Australia.
John’s first book, So Much to Tell You, was published in 1987. Since then, he has written or edited over 40 books and has sold over 5 million books throughout the world. He is best known for the Tomorrow Series, which began with Tomorrow, When the War Began, in 1993. Tomorrow, When the War Began, was adapted into a film in 2010 and a TV series in 2016.
His awards include (and are no way limited to) Young Adult Book Award and Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for So Much To Tell You in 1988; Grand Jury Prize for Australia’s favourite young person’s novel 1996 for Letters from the Inside and listed by the American Library Association as one of the Best Books for Young Adults 1995; and the Australian Multicultural Children’s Book Award in 1994 and the Young Australian Best Book Award in 1995 for Tomorrow, When the War Began.
In 2006, John founded an alternative primary school, Candlebark School. He is also the patron of youth media organisation Express Media.
Resources
- Read the show notes and transcript here.
- Learn more about John Marsden’s Tomorrow, When the War Began here.
Multi award-winning and bestselling author John Marsden has sold millions of books worldwide, and won every major award in Australia for young people’s fiction.
He has written more than 40 books, including So Much to Tell You and Letters from the Inside, which span a range of genres and audiences.
John’s legendary ‘The Tomorrow Series’, called ‘the best series for Australian teens of all time’, has sold into multiple territories and was adapted into a highly successful movie and a major TV series.
His historical novel for adults, South of Darkness, won the Christina Stead Award for Best Novel of 2015.
John’s enduring passion for education has led him to found two schools: Candlebark, on a vast forested estate near Romsey, Victoria; and Alice Miller, at Macedon, a Year 7-12 school with a particular emphasis on the creative arts.
His two adult, non-fiction titles, The Art of Growing Up and Take Risks, explore his fascinating life and his absorbing, profound insights into teaching, parenting and society today.
Photo courtesy of Pan Macmillan Australia
