Markus Zusak

Australian writer

Markus Zusak

Zusak in 2019

Born| Markus Frank Zusak
(1975-06-23) 23 June 1975 (age 49)
Sydney, Australia
Occupation| Writer
Education| Engadine High School
Alma mater| University of New South Wales
Period| 1999–present day
Notable awards| Margaret A. Edwards Award
2014

Spouse| Mika Zusak
Children| 3 children
Website
zusakbooks.com

Markus Zusak (born 23 June 1975) is an Australian writer. He is best known for The Book Thief and The Messenger, two novels that became international bestsellers. He won the Margaret Edwards Award in 2014.[1]

## Early life

[edit]

Zusak was born in Sydney, Australia. His mother Lisa is originally from Germany and his father Helmut is Austrian. They immigrated to Australia in the late 1950s.[2][3] Zusak 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, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts and a Diploma of Education.[citation needed]

## Career

[edit]

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.

The Messenger (I Am the Messenger in the United States), published in 2002, won the 2003 CBC Book of the Year Award (Older Readers), the New South Wales Premier's Literary Award's Ethel Turner Prize for Young People's Literature,[4] and was a runner-up for the Michael L. Printz Award.

The Book Thief was published in 2005 and has since been translated into more than 40 languages. The Book Thief was adapted into a film of the same name in 2013. In 2014, Zusak delivered a talk called "The Failurist" at TEDxSydney at the Sydney Opera House. It focused on his drafting process and journey to success through writing The Book Thief.[5]

In March 2016 Zusak talked about his then 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."[6] It was finally released in October 2018.

A TV series based on The Messenger premiered on ABC in 2023.[7] Zusak said his next book would be a "memoir type thing" and not fiction.[7]

## Awards

[edit]

In 2006, Zusak received The Sydney Morning Herald's Young Australian Novelist of the Year Award. In 2014, he won the Margaret 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".[1]

Bridge of Clay is a Junior Library Guild selection.[8]

In 2005, The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books and Publishers Weekly named I Am the Messenger (The Messenger) one of the best children's books of the year.[citation needed]

Awards for Zusak's writing  Year  | Title  | Award  | Category  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

2001  | Fighting Ruben Wolfe | Children's Book of the Year Award: Older Readers | —  | Honor  | [9]
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards | Ethel Turner Prize | Shortlist  | [citation needed]
2002  | When Dogs Cry | Children's Book of the Year Award: Older Readers | —  | Honor  | [9]
2003  | The Messenger | Children's Book of the Year Award: Older Readers | —  | Winner  | [citation needed]
New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards | Ethel Turner Prize | Winner  | [citation needed]
2006  | Michael L. Printz Award | —  | Honor  | [10]
2007  | Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis | Jugendjury  | Winner  | [11]
2006  | The Book Thief | Cybils Award | Young Adult Fiction  | Finalist  | [12]
Kathleen Mitchell Award | —  | Winner  | [13]
National Jewish Book Award | Children's and Young Adult Literature  | Winner  | [14]
2007  | Michael L. Printz Award | —  | Honor  | [10]
2008  | Ena Noël Award for Encouragement | —  | Winner  | [15]
2009  | Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis | Jugendjury  | Winner  | [16]
2014  | Fighting Ruben Wolfe
When Dogs Cry
The Messenger
The Book Thief | Margaret Edwards Award | —  | Selected  |

## Publications

[edit]

### Standalone books

[edit]

* 
- (2002). The Messenger (I Am the Messenger). Pan MacMillan. ISBN 9780330363884.[17]
* 
- (2006). The Book Thief. Picador. ISBN 9780330364263.[18]
* 
- (2018). Bridge of Clay. Picador. ISBN 9780857525956.[19]

### The Underdog trilogy

[edit]

* 
- (1999). The Underdog. Omnibus Books. ISBN 9781862914131.
* 
- (2000). Fighting Ruben Wolfe. Omnibus Books. ISBN 9780439241885.[20]
* 
- (2001). When Dogs Cry (Getting the Girl). Arthur A. Levine Books. ISBN 9780439389495.[21]

### Non-fiction

[edit]

* 
- (2024). Three Wild Dogs and the Truth. Pan Macmillan. ISBN 9781761561825.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Edwards Award 2014". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). American Library Association (ALA).
"Edwards Award". YALSA. ALA. Retrieved 2015-02-08.
2. ^ "The Angel of Death Narrates a New Tale for Young Readers –". Forward.com. 21 April 2007. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
3. ^ "Biography of Markus Zusak | List of Works, Study Guides & Essays". GradeSaver. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
4. ^ wiki
5. ^ Markus Zusak. "The Failurist: Markus Zusak". TED Sydney. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
6. ^ "The Book Thief 10 Years Later: Markus Zusak Reflects on His Iconic Novel 14 March 2016". Paste Magazine. 13 March 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
7. ^ a b Wearring, Myles (27 May 2023). "Author Markus Zusak knocked back Hollywood to make The Messenger TV series in Australia". ABC News. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
8. ^ "Bridge of Clay". Junior Library Guild. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
9. ^ a b "Winners 2000–2006 CBCA". Children's Book Council of Australia. Archived from the original on 5 January 2010. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
10. ^ a b "Michael L. Printz Winners and Honor Books". YALSA. ALA.
"The Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature". YALSA. ALA. Retrieved 2014-02-12.
11. ^ "Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis 2007". jugendliteratur. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2009.
12. ^ "2006 Cybils Finalists". Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
13. ^ "Kathleen Mitchell Award 2006 (literature)". Cauz Group Pty Limited (cauzgroup.com.au). Archived from the original on 19 May 2007. Retrieved 14 July 2007.
14. ^ "Past Winners". Jewish Book Council. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
15. ^ "Welcome to IBBY Australia". Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). Archived from the original on 22 July 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
16. ^ "Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis 2009". Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis. Archived from the original on 8 April 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
17. ^ "I AM THE MESSENGER by Markus Zusak". Publishers Weekly. 17 January 2005. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
18. ^ "The Book Thief by Markus Zusak". Publishers Weekly. 30 January 2006. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
19. ^ "Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak". Publishers Weekly. 6 August 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
20. ^ "FIGHTING RUBEN WOLFE by Markus Zusak". Publishers Weekly. 26 February 2001. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
21. ^ "Getting the Girl by Markus Zusak". Publishers Weekly. 1 April 2003. Retrieved 1 August 2024.

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Works by Markus Zusak

* The Underdog (1999)
* Fighting Ruben Wolfe (2000)
* When Dogs Cry (2001)
* The Messenger (2002)
* The Book Thief (2005)
* Underdogs (2011)
* Bridge of Clay (2018)

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