Colleen McCullough

AustralianContemporary FictionHistorical FictionFamily SagaRomanceb. 1937 — d. 2015

Colleen McCullough (1937–2015) was an Australian novelist and former neurophysiologist. She achieved international fame with her 1977 novel The Thorn Birds and later wrote the extensively researched Masters of Rome historical series. Before turning to full-time writing she trained and worked in neurophysiology, including positions at Royal North Shore Hospital (Sydney) and Yale School of Medicine. She lived for many years on Norfolk Island, where she died in 2015.

Awards

["Named a 'Living Treasure' by the National Trust of Australia (1997)", 'Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) (2006)']

Notable Works

['The Thorn Birds', 'Tim', 'The First Man in Rome (Masters of Rome series)', 'The Grass Crown', 'The Ladies of Missalonghi', 'An Indecent Obsession', 'Bittersweet']