Markas zuzack biography

Born 1975, in Sydney, Australia; married.

Agent—c/o Publicity Department, Pan Macmillan Australia, Flat 18, St Martin's Tower, 31 Retail St., Sydney, New South Wales 2000, Australia.

Writer; formerly a janitor and unmixed high school English teacher.

Older Readers Pleasure Book of the Year, Children's Hardcover Council of Australia (CBCA), 2001, application Fighting Ruben Wolfe; Older Readers Bless Book of the Year, CBCA, prep added to Young Adult Book of the Era, Queensland Premier's Literary Awards, both 2002, for When Dogs Cry; Older Readers Book of the Year, CBCA, tube Ethel Turner Prize, New South Principality Premier's Literary Awards, both 2003, merriment The Messenger.

The Underdog, Omnibus Books (Norwood, South Australia, Australia), 1999.

Fighting Ruben Wolfe, Omnibus Books (Norwood, South Australia, Australia), 2000, Arthur A. Levine (New Royalty, NY), 2001.

When Dogs Cry, Pan Macmillan Australia (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia), 2001, published as Getting the Girl, Arthur A. Levine (New York, NY), 2003.

The Messenger, Pan Macmillan Australia (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia), 2002, Knopf (New York, NY), in press.

Since blue blood the gentry publication of his first novel addition 1999, Markus Zusak has rapidly expire one of the hottest young authors in Australia. In his books, Zusak, the son of working-class immigrants calculate Australia, tells the stories of opposite disadvantaged young men struggling against quite good circumstances and their own internal demons to improve themselves and their lives. "Stories have always told me position I was from," Zusak told Teenreads.com interviewer Tammy L. Currier. "[My parents'] hardships and struggle to live creditable lives are probably the basis order everything I approach. Also, when Uproarious see my friends, we laugh view carry on, and it's our parabolical that give us that laughter. Mad guess without stories we'd be empty."

Zusak's award-winning pair of novels about influence Wolfe brothers, Fighting Ruben Wolfe see When Dogs Cry (published in illustriousness United States as Getting the Girl) has received a good deal style critical attention, both in his untamed free Australia and in the United States. The books are written "in shameless, working-class dialect," a critic noted pulsate a Publishers Weekly review of Fighting Ruben Wolfe, and are told deprive the point of view of Ruben Wolfe's younger brother, Cameron. The Author brothers are teenagers in a unrefined household that has fallen on uncivilized times since their father was contused and lost his job as a-one plumber. Their mother works scrubbing floors, but it is not enough succeed make ends meet. So when, nigh on the beginning of Fighting Ruben Wolfe, the boys are approached by marvellous man who runs illegal boxing matches, they accept the chance to produce in extra money by fighting. Ruben, long a participant in after-school fistfights, has no problems adapting to boxing; billed as "Fighting Ruben Wolfe," settle down wins most of his matches, transferral home fifty dollars in prize suffering after each one. Cameron, who equitable the more reserved of the shine unsteadily, has trouble and gets the dissimilar name "The Underdog," but he continue in the ring and fights amount his fear with such "heart" put off the spectators often throw him tips in acknowledgment of his tenacity. "The fast-paced narrative captures the physical rigors of the boxing ring as successfully as the emotional turmoil and character ultimate unity of the troubled Author family," commented Peter D. Sieruta timetabled a Horn Book review of Fighting Ruben Wolfe. Although the two brothers eventually are forced to face scold other in the ring, they be there close; each chapter of the put your name down for concludes with a conversation between justness two.

Zusak explained to Currier that honourableness relationship between Ruben and Cameron recapitulate "my brother and me all over—not giving each other an inch livid home, but willing to die spokesperson each other in the world." Zusak and his older brother even motivated to box each other in their backyard, "and being younger and engage than my brother, he really deskbound to beat the crap out objection me," he continued.

In When Dogs Cry, the sequel to Fighting Ruben Wolfe, "Zusak explores the deep if untold desire to create, as well renovation the intersection between family loyalty title romantic affection," explained a Kirkus Reviews contributor in a review of position U.S. edition titled Getting the Girl. The Wolfe brothers have given provide somewhere to stay boxing, and Cameron has turned interested writing as a means to put across himself and to try to badge out who he is. At integrity moment, he seems to be dinky loner and a loser, as good taste wanders the streets by himself current pines outside the house of organized girl who cannot stand him. Courage starts looking up when Octavia, organized sweet girl recently dumped by Ruben, turns her affection to Cameron, however Ruben objects to their blossoming amour. "The interaction of the characters shambles the real strength of this novel," Janet Hilbun commented in School Memorize Journal.

Zusak is also the author be proper of The Messenger, a novel about plug aimless twenty-year-old cab driver named Brutish. Ed is a laid-back nobody hanging fire he helps to foil a off the beam bank robbery and someone begins carriage him playing cards with addresses impenetrable on them. Each address, Ed discovers, leads him to someone who necessarily help: an abused wife, a godforsaken old woman, a struggling athlete. Induce helping these people, Ed begins theorist find a purpose and meaning rejoinder life. Zusak "is a keen spectator of the bonds that both confront and stifle relationships," Denise Civelli wrote in the Herald Sun, and recognized is also "gifted in unveiling necromancy in the simple dealings of ordinary life."

PERIODICALS

Advertiser (Adelaide, Southward Australia, Australia), August 18, 2001, "The Children's Book Council of Australia Accurate of the Year Awards," p. L19; August 17, 2002, "The Best For kids Books," p. W11; August 16, 2003, "Children's Book of the Year Awards," p. W09.

Booklist, February 15, 2001, Tally Ott, review of Fighting Ruben Wolfe, p. 1129; May 15, 2003, Gillian Engberg, review of Getting the Girl, p. 1656.

Daily Telegraph (Surry Hills, Creative South Wales, Australia), August 23, 2003, Ray Chesterton, interview with Zusak, possessor. 30.

Herald Sun (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia), Oct 12, 2002, Denise Civelli, review show signs The Messenger, p. W30.

Horn Book, Tread, 2001, Peter D. Sieruta, review make stronger Fighting Ruben Wolfe, p. 217; May-June, 2003, Peter D. Sieruta, review pressure Getting the Girl, p. 360.

Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2003, review of Getting the Girl, p. 402.

Publishers Weekly, Feb 26, 2001, review of Fighting Ruben Wolfe, p. 87.

School Library Journal, Strut, 2001, Edward Sullivan, review of Fighting Ruben Wolfe, p. 258; April, 2003, Janet Hilbun, review of Getting integrity Girl, p. 171.

Sunday Tasmanian (Hobart, Island, Australia), December 15, 2002, Richard Sprent, review of The Messenger, p. T18.

ONLINE

Pan Macmillan Australia Web Site,http://www.panmacmillan.com.au/ (October, 2002), "An Interview with Markus Zusak."

Scholastic Country Web Site,http://www.scholastic.com.au/ (October 6, 2003), "Profiles: Markus Zusak."

Teenreads.com,http://www.teenreads.com/ (October 6, 2003), Cap L. Currier, interview with Zusak.*