Creative Australia acknowledges the passing of acclaimed author and educator John Marsden.
Born in Melbourne in 1950, John spent his childhood in Kyneton, Victoria and Devonport, Tasmania, before moving to Sydney when he was ten. After working multiple jobs, he became an English teacher at Geelong Grammar School, and it was here that he began writing.
Marsden’s first novel, So Much to Tell You, was published in 1987, selling record numbers and winning multiple awards, including “Book of the Year” from the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA).
It was the beginning of a prolific and hugely successful writing career, with more than forty novels and every major writing award in Australia for young people’s fiction to follow.
John is best known to audiences for the Tomorrow Series, which began in 1993 with Tomorrow, When the War Began, a novel about a high-intensity, hypothetical invasion and occupation of Australia by a foreign power. The series was published widely in translation, selling millions of copies around the world. The first novel in the seven-book series was hugely successful in the United States, where it featured on the American Library Association’s (ALA) “Best Books for Young Adults” list in 1996.
The first novel in the seven-book series, Tomorrow, When the War Began, which received investment for writing and publishing from the Australia Council, won acclaim and numerous awards before being adapted into a 2010 feature film and a major TV series in 2016.
The Ellie Chronicles was Marsden’s follow-up trilogy between 2003 and 2006, but in the mid-to-late 90s he produced other notable works such as Checkers, This I Believe, The Rabbits, non-fiction titles Everything I Know About Writing and Secret Men’s Business, and also poetry, with Prayer for the Twenty-First Century.
In 1996, John was named “Australia’s most popular author today in any literary field” by The Australian and in 1997, Australian readers voted three of his books into Australia’s 100 most-loved books of all time. The 2006 Lloyd O’Neil Award for contributions to Australian publishing meant John Marsden is one of only five authors to be honoured for lifelong services to the Australian book industry.
Speaking about John Marsden’s passing, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said:
“John Marsden wanted young Australians to read more and his writing made that happen. Vivid, funny, quintessentially Australian, he wrote with a real love for our land and a true sense of our people’s character. His was a great Australian voice that spoke to all ages, here and around the world. John’s work will live long in our national memory.”
Creative Australia’s Head of Literature Wenona Byrne said:
” An educator at heart, his characters reflected the deep respect and admiration John had for young people – they were brilliant, flawed, capable, and vulnerable. John Marsden was a brilliant writer who inspired millions of us, not just in Australia but around the world, to read and write and think creatively. His legacy as an author and an educator is profound. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to his family, friends and the literary community.”
Vale
John Marsden
1950 – 2024