biography
Early Life
Markus Zusak came into this world on June 23, 1975 in Sydney Australia. His parents, Helmut and Lisa, emigrated from Austria and Germany to Australia in the late 1950s. (wikipedia, 2014) His mother worked as a maid and his father was a commercial house painter. They were working class immigrants and because of this Zusak had a working class upbringing that later influenced his writing. (Rockman 2008) Zusak has one older brother and two older sisters. (wikipedia, 2014) His relationship with his older brother would later inspire him when writing his second book, Fighting Ruben Wolfe. Zusak and his brother engaged in backyard boxing matches as children and this idea appears in his book. (Rockman 2008) Zusak attended Engadine High School. (wikipedia 2014) He began writing at 16 and eventually finished his first manuscript at 18. However, this manuscript remained unpublished. (Rockman 2008)
The Start of a Career
Originally Zusak wanted to become a painter as his father had been, but found that he did not have an aptitude for painting. Instead, Zusak went to college for a degree in teaching. He worked as a janitor and later as an English teacher at his old high school. Though it had been a few years since Zusak had wrote his first manuscript, he began writing his first book. He mused over many ideas and came up with the sort of autobiographical The Underdog. (Rockman 2008) The book was published in 1999. Though The Underdog received no awards, it was his first published book. He quickly followed up with two more books of the same series, Fighting Ruben Wolfe (2000) and When Dogs Cry (2001). (gradesaver, n.d.) These novels had a much better reception and received a number of awards. Fighting Ruben Wolfe was shortlisted for the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Older Readers Book of the Year, named the Australian Bookseller’s Book of the Year, received the Ethel Turner Prize for Young People’s Literature, and named the ALA Best Book for Young Adults. When Dogs Cry, also known as Getting the Girl in the U.S., was named Young Adult Book of the year by Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards and was shortlisted for the CBCA Older Readers Book of the Year. By 2002 Zusak had written and published his fourth book The Messenger, also known as I Am the Messenger in the U.S. Zusak thought up the idea for this book sitting outside a local bank. This novel became quite popular and won many awards. Some awards received by The Messenger are the Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book, the Ethel Turner Prize, and BCCB Blue Ribbon Title. (Rockman, 2008)
The Book Thief
The Book Thief is widely considered to be Zusak’s best novel. It was inspired by stories that Zusak’s parents told him as a child. Both his mother and father had lived through World War II. His mother told him stories about the marching of the Jews through towns and the Munich bombings. His father inspired the character Hans Huberman who is a commercial painter during WWII. His father also told him about evading the Hitler Youth meetings. (gradesaver, n.d.) Zusak had The Book Thief published in 2005 and it has remained on the New York Times bestseller list for a total of 375 weeks. It has been translated into over 40 languages. (randomhouse, n.d.) It has received countless awards that vary in kind. To name just a few, it has received the 2006 Kathleen Mitchell Award, named 2007 Michael L. Printz Honor Book, and was included in the Best of the Year list for every major reviewing journal. (Rockman, 2008) The Book Thief has also been made into a major motion picture. The film was directed by Brian Percival. The cast included Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, Ben Schnetzer, Nico Liersch, and Sophie Nelisse as the book thief, Liesel Meminger. It was shot in Berlin, Germany by Twentieth Century Fox. (randomhouse, n.d.)
Current Life
Zusak currently lives with his wife, Mika, and two children in New South Wales, Australia. He surfs and teaches part time. Zusak was named one of the Sydney Morning Herald’s Young Writers of the Year and has received the Edwards Award. (Rockman, 2008) He is rumored to be writing his sixth book Bridge of Clay. In an interview with The Guardian Zusak was asked what made him want to write when he was first starting out. He responded with the statement “I wanted to be a writer when I was 16 and read the right books for me. It was the feeling of turning pages and not even realising it - I was so immersed in the world of each book. That was when I looked up from the pages and thought, “ That’s what I want to do with my life.” I decided that I was going to be a writer and that nothing was going to stop me.” (Zusak, 2008)
Markus Zusak came into this world on June 23, 1975 in Sydney Australia. His parents, Helmut and Lisa, emigrated from Austria and Germany to Australia in the late 1950s. (wikipedia, 2014) His mother worked as a maid and his father was a commercial house painter. They were working class immigrants and because of this Zusak had a working class upbringing that later influenced his writing. (Rockman 2008) Zusak has one older brother and two older sisters. (wikipedia, 2014) His relationship with his older brother would later inspire him when writing his second book, Fighting Ruben Wolfe. Zusak and his brother engaged in backyard boxing matches as children and this idea appears in his book. (Rockman 2008) Zusak attended Engadine High School. (wikipedia 2014) He began writing at 16 and eventually finished his first manuscript at 18. However, this manuscript remained unpublished. (Rockman 2008)
The Start of a Career
Originally Zusak wanted to become a painter as his father had been, but found that he did not have an aptitude for painting. Instead, Zusak went to college for a degree in teaching. He worked as a janitor and later as an English teacher at his old high school. Though it had been a few years since Zusak had wrote his first manuscript, he began writing his first book. He mused over many ideas and came up with the sort of autobiographical The Underdog. (Rockman 2008) The book was published in 1999. Though The Underdog received no awards, it was his first published book. He quickly followed up with two more books of the same series, Fighting Ruben Wolfe (2000) and When Dogs Cry (2001). (gradesaver, n.d.) These novels had a much better reception and received a number of awards. Fighting Ruben Wolfe was shortlisted for the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Older Readers Book of the Year, named the Australian Bookseller’s Book of the Year, received the Ethel Turner Prize for Young People’s Literature, and named the ALA Best Book for Young Adults. When Dogs Cry, also known as Getting the Girl in the U.S., was named Young Adult Book of the year by Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards and was shortlisted for the CBCA Older Readers Book of the Year. By 2002 Zusak had written and published his fourth book The Messenger, also known as I Am the Messenger in the U.S. Zusak thought up the idea for this book sitting outside a local bank. This novel became quite popular and won many awards. Some awards received by The Messenger are the Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book, the Ethel Turner Prize, and BCCB Blue Ribbon Title. (Rockman, 2008)
The Book Thief
The Book Thief is widely considered to be Zusak’s best novel. It was inspired by stories that Zusak’s parents told him as a child. Both his mother and father had lived through World War II. His mother told him stories about the marching of the Jews through towns and the Munich bombings. His father inspired the character Hans Huberman who is a commercial painter during WWII. His father also told him about evading the Hitler Youth meetings. (gradesaver, n.d.) Zusak had The Book Thief published in 2005 and it has remained on the New York Times bestseller list for a total of 375 weeks. It has been translated into over 40 languages. (randomhouse, n.d.) It has received countless awards that vary in kind. To name just a few, it has received the 2006 Kathleen Mitchell Award, named 2007 Michael L. Printz Honor Book, and was included in the Best of the Year list for every major reviewing journal. (Rockman, 2008) The Book Thief has also been made into a major motion picture. The film was directed by Brian Percival. The cast included Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, Ben Schnetzer, Nico Liersch, and Sophie Nelisse as the book thief, Liesel Meminger. It was shot in Berlin, Germany by Twentieth Century Fox. (randomhouse, n.d.)
Current Life
Zusak currently lives with his wife, Mika, and two children in New South Wales, Australia. He surfs and teaches part time. Zusak was named one of the Sydney Morning Herald’s Young Writers of the Year and has received the Edwards Award. (Rockman, 2008) He is rumored to be writing his sixth book Bridge of Clay. In an interview with The Guardian Zusak was asked what made him want to write when he was first starting out. He responded with the statement “I wanted to be a writer when I was 16 and read the right books for me. It was the feeling of turning pages and not even realising it - I was so immersed in the world of each book. That was when I looked up from the pages and thought, “ That’s what I want to do with my life.” I decided that I was going to be a writer and that nothing was going to stop me.” (Zusak, 2008)