Archimede Fusillo (born 1962) is an Australian author of books for children and
young adults
A young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages of human development significantly influencing the definition of ...
.
Biography
His Italian background has inspired many of his novels and short stories, starting with Memories of Sunday Cricket in the Street and Talking to the Moon. Fusillo has written three novels, ''Sparring with Shadows'' (1997)-this first novel being nominated for the Italy in the World awards in 2000-and ''The Dons'' (2002) and ''Bruises'' (2004) published by
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a British publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year. He is a regular contributor to the ethnic magazine ''Italy Down Under,'' and his fiction has been published in
Imago
In biology, the imago (Latin for "image") is the last stage an insect attains during its metamorphosis, its process of growth and development; it is also called the imaginal stage, the stage in which the insect attains maturity. It follows the f ...
, Spring 1998. His short stories have been published in anthologies like ''Hunger and Other Stories'' published by the Australian Association for the Teachers of English and Wakefield Press in 2003.
Personal life
Many of Fusillo's books have been written from personal experiences. He attended a boys' school, where his year 10 teacher helped and encouraged him to write. A childhood friend Fusillo's was in an accident while the two boys were playing on top of a wheat silo, and his friend slipped and died instantly. Other stories, such as ''The Dons,'' which relates to his Nonna, who contracted dementia.
Fusillo lives in Melbourne with his wife, son and daughter. He worked as a features writer for two international magazines. He completed a BA degree in
Psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...
at
Melbourne University
The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...
. His stories are often set in the '60s and '70s, when he was growing up as a first-generation
Italian-Australian
Italian Australians ( it, Italiani Australiani) are Australians with Italian ancestry. Italian Australians constitute the sixth largest ancestry group in Australia, and one of the largest groups in the global Italian diaspora. At the 2021 ce ...
, and often explore themes of manhood.
He has won the Alan Marshall Award and the Mary Grant Bruce Award for Children's Literature for his short stories, and ''The Dons'' received a Family Therapy Award for Literature. He is a popular speaker at the Melbourne Writers Festival especially on the Schools panels. He was also at the Mildura Writers' Festival and the Northern Writers Festival, and regularly speaks at schools in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
and interstate.
In 2005 Fusillo was the judge for the Eastern Regional Libraries National Storywriting Competition.