Markus Zusak

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Markus Zusak (born in 1975 in Sydney) is an Australian author. Zusak is the son of an Austrian father and German mother and he is the youngest of four children.[1] He is best known for his teen novels The Messenger, and The Book Thief which have been his most successful of works, selling more copies, receiving more publicity and receiving more critical acclaim than his other novels. In November 2006, a book video for The Book Thief was a part of The Book Standard's Teen Book Video Awards.[2] He currently lives in Sydney.

1 Early life
2 List of published works
3 Awards
4 References

[edit] Early life

Zusak grew up hearing stories about Nazi Germany, about the bombing of Munich and about Jews being marched through his mother’s small, German town.[3] Originally Zusak intended to take on his father's trade as a commercial house painter but had no talent for the job and found it tedious. He was inspired to write after reading, and becoming enamoured by the books The Old Man and the Sea and What's Eating Gilbert Grape, though it took seven years for his first work to be published.[4]

[edit] List of published works

The Book Thief (2006)
Getting the Girl (2003)
Fighting Ruben Wolfe (2002)
I Am the Messenger (2002), (The Messenger in the US)
When Dogs Cry (2001)
The Underdog (1999)

[edit] Awards

"The Book Thief" was named a 2007 Michael L. Printz Honor book [5] by the Young Adult Library Services Association [6].
"I Am the Messenger" was named a 2006 Michael L. Printz Honor book [7] by the Young Adult Library Services Association [8].
Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book - I Am the Messenger (won in 2006)
Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year-Children - I Am the Messenger (won in 2005)
Children’s Book Council Book of the Year Award in Australia - I Am the Messenger (won in 2003).