Children 2 Parents Helmut Zusak, Lisa Zusak Spouse Mika Zusak | Genre Young-adult fiction Role Writer Period 1999–present Name Markus Zusak Movies The Book Thief | |
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Born Markus Frank Zusak 23 June 1975 (age 49) Sydney ( 1975-06-23 ) Books The Book Thief, The Messenger, When Dogs Cry, Fighting Ruben Wolfe, The Underdog Similar People Sophie Nelisse, Brian Percival, Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, Michael Petroni Profiles | ||
Notable awards Edwards Award2014 | ||
In conversation with markus zusak in the studio
Markus Frank Zusak (born 23 June 1975) is an Australian writer. He is best known for The Book Thief and The Messenger (US title, I Am the Messenger), two novels for young adults which have been international best-sellers. He won the annual Margaret A. Edwards Award in 2014 for his contributions to young-adult literature published in the US.
Contents
- In conversation with markus zusak in the studio
- The book thief by markus zusak part 1 the writing process
- Life and career
- Works
- Awards
- References
The book thief by markus zusak part 1 the writing process
Life and career
Zusak was born in Sydney, Australia. His mother Lisa is originally from Germany and his father Helmut is from Austria. They emigrated to Australia in the late 1950s. Markus is the youngest of four children and has two sisters and one brother. He attended Engadine High School and briefly returned there to teach English while writing. He studied English and History at the University of New South Wales, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and a Diploma of Education.
Zusak is the author of six books. His first three books, The Underdog, Fighting Ruben Wolfe and When Dogs Cry, released between 1999 and 2001, were all published internationally and garnered a number of awards. The Underdog, his first book, took seven years to publish. The Messenger, published in 2002, won the 2003 CBC Book of the Year Award (Older Readers) and the 2003 NSW Premier's Literary Award (Ethel Turner Prize) in Australia and was a runner-up for the Printz Award in America.
The Book Thief was published in 2005 and has since been translated into more than 30 languages. Besides winning awards in Australia and overseas, The Book Thief has held the number one position at Amazon.com and on the New York Times best-seller list, as well as in Brazil, Ireland and Taiwan. It has been among the top five best sellers in the UK, Spain, Israel and South Korea, and is still set to be released in many other territories. The Book Thief was adapted as a film of the same name in 2013.
"The Messenger" (or "I Am The Messenger" in the United States) was published in 2002 and was one of Markus Zusak's first novels. This novel, although not as popular as "The Book Thief," has won awards such as the "New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards: Ethel Turner Prize for Young People's Literature."
In March 2016 Zusak talked about his unfinished novel Bridge of Clay. He stated that the book was 90% finished but that, "... I’m a completely different person than the person who wrote The Book Thief. And this is also the scary thing—I’m a different person to the one who started Bridge of Clay eight, nine years ago ... I’ve got to get it done this year, or else I’ll probably finally have to set it aside."
Works
Awards
In 2014, Zusak won the Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association (ALA), which annually recognises an author and "a specific body of his or her work, for significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature".
In 2006, Zusak was also the recipient of the Sydney Morning Herald's Young Australian Novelist of the Year Award.