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John Marsden

ジョン・マーシュデン

John Marsden

Pen Names: James Hordern（Pseudonym used for the adult novel 'Lost To View'）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1950-09-27 （Melbourne, Victoria, Australia）
Died
2024-12-18 （Romsey, Victoria, Australia） age 74
Nationality
Australia
Languages
English
Residence History
Kyneton, Victoria, Australia → Devonport, Tasmania, Australia → Sydney, New South Wales, Australia → Lancefield, Victoria, Australia → Romsey, Victoria, Australia

Career

Occupations
Writer, Teacher, Principal
Active Years
1987-2021
Affiliations
Candlebark School (founder), Alice Miller School (co-founder), Geelong Grammar School (Timbertop campus, former teacher)
Nominations
Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (nominated)

Education

The King's School, Parramatta
Secondary education
Country: Australia
Secondary schooling
University of Sydney
Law and Arts (enrolled) / Law; Arts
Country: Australia
Accepted into a double degree in Law and Arts but dropped out

Awards

Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Children's Book of the Year Award: Older Readers
1988
Work: So Much to Tell You
Category: 児童文学
Organization: Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA)
Result: 受賞
Victorian Premier's Literary Award — Alan Marshall Award
1988
Work: So Much to Tell You
Organization: Victorian Government
Result: 受賞
Christopher Award — Books for Young People
1990
Work: So Much to Tell You
Organization: The Christophers
Result: 受賞
Buxtehude Bull
1999
Work: The Third Day, The Frost
Organization: Buxtehuder Bulle
Result: 受賞
Lloyd O'Neil Award
2006
Result: 受賞
Dromkeen Medal
2018
Organization: State Library of Victoria
Result: 受賞
Honorary Doctorate — University of the Sunshine Coast
2021
Organization: University of the Sunshine Coast
Result: 授与

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Tomorrow, When the War Began

1993 Young adult fiction

A young-adult novel about a group of teenagers who must survive and resist after their country is invaded. The first book of the Tomorrow series; themes include friendship, survival and coming of age.

friendshipsurvivalinvasion/warcoming of age
Adaptations
  • [Film] Tomorrow, When the War Began (2010)
  • [TV series] Tomorrow When the War Began (2016)

So Much to Tell You

1987 Young adult / YA novel

Written while Marsden was working as a teacher; told in the voice of a withdrawn teenage girl. The book received critical acclaim and won several awards.

isolationrecoverycommunication

Letters from the Inside

1991 Young adult novel

A novel told through exchanged letters that explores the relationship and conflicts between two teenage girls. Received recognition internationally.

identityfriendshipfamily problems

The Rabbits

1998 Picture book / Allegorical fable

An allegorical picture book illustrated by Shaun Tan dealing with colonisation and conquest; adapted for stage and later turned into an opera.

colonisationcultural conflictloss
Adaptations
  • [Opera] The Rabbits (opera) (2015)

Take Risks

2021 Fiction

One of Marsden's later novels, dealing with relationships, choices and the theme of taking risks.

decision-makinggrowthrisk

Bibliography

  • So Much to Tell You (1987)
  • The Journey (1988)
  • The Great Gatenby (1989)
  • Staying Alive in Year 5 (1990)
  • Out of Time (1990)
  • Letters from the Inside (1991)
  • Take My Word for It (1992)
  • Tomorrow, When the War Began (1993)
  • The Dead of Night (1994)
  • The Third Day, The Frost (1995)
  • Darkness, Be My Friend (1996)
  • Burning for Revenge (1997)
  • The Night is for Hunting (1998)
  • The Other Side of Dawn (1999)
  • Winter (2000)
  • Millie (2002)
  • Hamlet: A Novel (2008)
  • Home and Away (2008)
  • South of Darkness (2014)
  • The Art of Growing Up (2019)
  • Take Risks (2021)
  • The Rabbits (picture book, 1998)
  • Checkers (1996)
  • Prayer for the Twenty-First Century (1997)
  • Everything I Know About Writing (1993)

Adaptations

  • Tomorrow, When the War Began (2010 film)
  • Tomorrow When the War Began (2016 TV series)
  • The Rabbits (2015 opera)

Translations of Works

  • His works have been translated into multiple languages, including Norwegian, Afrikaans and Persian

Style & Themes

Literary Style
direct, youth-centered narrationcontemporary realismfrank, emotionally immediate prose
Recurring Motifs
friendship and camaraderieisolation and alienationviolence and its consequencesrebellion against adults and coming of age

Legacy

John Marsden was a major figure in Australian young-adult literature and education, winner of numerous children's and YA awards, founder of alternative schools and supporter of young writers.

Academic Societies

  • University of the Sunshine Coast (honorary doctorate)

In Popular Culture

  • Film adaptation of Tomorrow, When the War Began (2010) and TV series (2016)
  • Opera adaptation of the picture book The Rabbits (2015), staged in multiple Australian cities and award-winning

Quotes

  • "I wanted 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."
    Source: Interview (quoted in press/interviews) (2004)
  • "I might as well stop being coy about it … plus you’ll never find it anyway."
    Source: Interview with The Weekend Australian (on his pseudonymous novel) (2019)

Trivia

  • In 1994 he published an adult novel, Lost To View, under the pseudonym James Hordern.
  • Founded the alternative Candlebark School in 2006 and later the arts-focused Alice Miller School (2016).
  • Married Kristin in 2011 and had six step-children.
  • Supported the John Marsden Prize for Young Australian Writers; the prize was renamed Hachette Australia Prize for Young Writers in 2020.
  • The Tomorrow series was adapted into a 2010 film and a 2016 TV series.