John Marsden, 1998

John Marsden (b. 1950), children's writer and social commentator, grew up in country Victoria and Tasmania and then attended the Kings School in Parramatta. Although an exceptional student, he abandoned his arts/ law degree and worked in a number of odd jobs before completing a BA at Mitchell College Bathurst and becoming an English teacher, in which capacity he worked for nine years at Geelong Grammar School. His first novel was published in 1987 after being rejected by six publishers; he abandoned teaching after the publication of four more works of fiction. He has since written more than twenty more novels and guides for teenagers and young children, and now runs writing camps for young people and adults. Although he has no children himself, his most recent book is The Boy You Brought Home: A Single Mother's Guide to Raising Sons (2002). Marsden has won a great number of Australian and international writing awards.

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2002