Colleen Margaretta McCullough (; married name Robinson, previously Ion-Robinson; 1 June 193729 January 2015) was an Australian author known for her novels, her most well-known being ''

The Thorn Birds ''The Thorn Birds'' is a 1977 novel by Australian author Colleen McCullough. Set primarily on Drogheda – a fictional sheep station in the Australian Outback named after Drogheda, Ireland, the story focuses on the Cleary family and spans 1 ...

'' and ''

The Ladies of Missalonghi ''The Ladies of Missalonghi'' is a short novel by Australian writer Colleen McCullough commissioned for the Hutchinson Novellas series and published in the United States in the Harper Short Novel series in 1987. Set in the small town of Byron in ...

''.

Life

McCullough was born in 1937 in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

, in the Central West region of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, to James and Laurie McCullough. Her father was of Irish descent and her mother was a New Zealander of part-

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

descent. During her childhood, the family moved around a great deal and she was also "a voracious reader".Mary Jean DeMarr, Colleen McCullough: a critical companion, p. 2 Her family eventually settled in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

where she attended Holy Cross College,

Woollahra Woollahra is a suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Woollahra is located 5 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Woolla ...

, having a strong interest in both science and the humanities. She had a younger brother, Carl, who drowned off the coast of

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...

when he was 25 while trying to rescue tourists in difficulty. She based a character in ''The Thorn Birds'' on him, and also wrote about him in ''Life Without the Boring Bits''. Before her tertiary education, McCullough earned a living as a teacher, librarian and journalist. In her first year of medical studies at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

she suffered

dermatitis Dermatitis is inflammation of the skin, typically characterized by itchiness, redness and a rash. In cases of short duration, there may be small blisters, while in long-term cases the skin may become thickened. The area of skin involved can ...

from surgical soap and was told to abandon her dreams of becoming a medical doctor. Instead, she switched to

neuroscience Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions and disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, development ...

and worked at

Royal North Shore Hospital The Royal North Shore Hospital (RNSH) is a major public teaching hospital in Sydney, Australia, located in St Leonards. It serves as a teaching hospital for Sydney Medical School at the University of Sydney and has over 600 beds. It is the prin ...

in Sydney. In 1963, McCullough moved for four years to the United Kingdom; at the

Great Ormond Street Hospital Great Ormond Street Hospital (informally GOSH or Great Ormond Street, formerly the Hospital for Sick Children) is a children's hospital located in the Bloomsbury area of the London Borough of Camden, and a part of Great Ormond Street Hospit ...

in London she met the chairman of the neurology department at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

who offered her a research associate job at Yale. She spent 10 years (April 1967 to 1976) researching and teaching in the Department of Neurology at the

Yale Medical School The Yale School of Medicine is the graduate medical school at Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was founded in 1810 as the Medical Institution of Yale College and formally opened in 1813. The primary te ...

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

, United States. While at Yale she wrote her first two books. One of these, ''

'', became an international bestseller and one of the best selling books in history, with sales of over 30 million copies worldwide, that in 1983 inspired one of the most-watched television miniseries of all time. Following ''The Thorn Birds'', McCullough wrote her magnum opus: seven novels on the life and times of

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...

, each a colossus weighing in at up to 1,000 pages. ''The Masters of Rome'' series preoccupied her for almost 30 years, from the early 1980s to the publication of the final volume in 2007. The research was a monumental task: a library of several thousand books and monographs on every aspect of Roman history and civilisation accumulated on the shelves of her home. She drew maps of cities and battlefields, scoured the world’s museums for busts and inscriptions, consulted experts in a dozen universities and recorded every known fact about her subject and his times. The success of these books enabled her to give up her medical-scientific career and to try to "live on erown terms." In the late 1970s, after stints in London and Connecticut, she settled on the isolation of

Norfolk Island Norfolk Island (, ; Norfuk: ''Norf'k Ailen'') is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head and about from Lord Howe Island. Together with ...

, off the coast of mainland Australia, where she met her husband, Ric Robinson. They married in April 1984. Under his birth name Cedric Newton Ion-Robinson, he was a member of the

Norfolk Legislative Assembly The Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly was the prime legislative body of Norfolk Island from 1979 to 2015. Formed after the Norfolk Island Act 1979 was passed in the Australian parliament, its first members were elected on 10 August 1979. Th ...

. He changed his name formally to Ric Newton Ion Robinson in 2002. McCullough's 2008 novel, ''The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet'' engendered controversy with her reworking of characters from

Jane Austen Jane Austen (; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots of ...

's '' Pride and Prejudice''.

Susannah Fullerton Susannah Fullerton OAM, FRSN (born 1960) is a Canadian-born Australian author and literary historian. She has been president of the Jane Austen Society of Australia since 1996, which is the largest literary society in Australia. She is also pa ...

, the president of the Jane Austen Society of Australia, said she "shuddered" while reading the novel, as she felt that

Elizabeth Bennet Elizabeth Bennet is the protagonist in the 1813 novel ''Pride and Prejudice'' by Jane Austen. She is often referred to as Eliza or Lizzy by her friends and family. Elizabeth is the second child in a family of five daughters. Though the circu ...

was rewritten as weak, and

Mr. Darcy Fitzwilliam Darcy Esquire, generally referred to as Mr. Darcy, is one of the two central characters in Jane Austen's 1813 novel '' Pride and Prejudice''. He is an archetype of the aloof romantic hero, and a romantic interest of Elizabeth Benn ...

as savage. Fullerton said: " lizabethis one of the strongest, liveliest heroines in literature … ndDarcy's generosity of spirit and nobility of character make her fall in love with him – why should those essential traits in both of them change in 20 years?"

Death

McCullough died on 29 January 2015, at the age of 77, in the Norfolk Island Hospital,

Burnt Pine Burnt Pine ( Norf'k: ''Ban Pain''Buffett, Alice Inez, ''Speak Norfolk Today: An Encyclopedia of the Norfolk Island language'', Himii Publishing, Norfolk Island, 1999: 25) is the largest town on Norfolk Island (in the Pacific Ocean located betwee ...

, from apparent renal failure after suffering from a series of small strokes. She had suffered from failing eyesight due to haemorrhagic

macular degeneration Macular degeneration, also known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD or ARMD), is a medical condition which may result in blurred or no vision in the center of the visual field. Early on there are often no symptoms. Over time, however, som ...

, and also suffered from

osteoporosis Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disorder characterized by low bone mass, micro-architectural deterioration of bone tissue leading to bone fragility, and consequent increase in fracture risk. It is the most common reason for a broken bone ...

trigeminal neuralgia Trigeminal neuralgia (TN or TGN), also called Fothergill disease, tic douloureux, or trifacial neuralgia is a long-term pain disorder that affects the trigeminal nerve, the nerve responsible for sensation in the face and motor functions such as ...

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

and

uterine cancer Uterine cancer, also known as womb cancer, includes two types of cancer that develop from the tissues of the uterus. Endometrial cancer forms from the lining of the uterus, and uterine sarcoma forms from the muscles or support tissue of the ut ...

, and used a

wheelchair A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, problems related to old age, or disability. These can include spinal cord injuries ( paraplegia, hemiplegia, and quadriplegia), cerebr ...

full-time. She was buried in a traditional Norfolk Island funeral ceremony at the Emily Bay cemetery on the island.

Honours

In 1978, she received the Golden Plate Award of the

American Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a non-profit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest achieving individuals in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet ...

. In 1984, a portrait of McCullough, painted by Wesley Walters, was a finalist in the

Archibald Prize The Archibald Prize is an Australian portraiture art prize for painting, generally seen as the most prestigious portrait prize in Australia. It was first awarded in 1921 after the receipt of a bequest from J. F. Archibald, J. F. Archib ...

. The prize is awarded for the "best portrait painting preferentially of some man or woman distinguished in Art, Letters, Science or Politics". The depth of historical research for the novels on ancient Rome led to her being awarded a

Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...

degree by Macquarie University in 1993. She was appointed an

Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

on 12 June 2006, " r service to the arts as an author and to the community through roles supporting national and international educational programs, medico-scientific disciplines and charitable organisations and causes".

Controversy

In an interview with ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'' in November 2004 to promote ''Angel Puss'', McCullough said the men of Pitcairn Island that were convicted of sexual encounters with children should have been allowed to follow their "custom" and have sex with young girls. "The Poms have cracked the whip and it's an absolute disgrace. These are indigenous customs and should not be touched. These were the first people to inhabit Pitcairn Island, and they are racially unique." she said. "It's hypocritical, too. Does anybody object when Muslims follow their customs?""Pitcairn men were following custom: McCullough"
''

Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper i ...

'', 16 November 2004; retrieved 25 February 2020. The comments generated stories at the time,"Colleen McCullough to undergo brain surgery"
''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'', 29 November. 2009; retrieved 25 February 2020. and were mentioned in her obituaries.

Bibliography

Selected novels

* '' Tim'' (1974) * ''

'' (1977) * ''

An Indecent Obsession ''An Indecent Obsession'' is a 1981 novel by Australian author Colleen McCullough. Summary To the battle-broken soldiers in her care, nurse Honour Langtry is a precious, adored reminder of the world before the war. Then Michael Wilson arrive ...

'' (1981) * ''A Creed for the Third Millennium'' (1985) * ''

'' (1987) * ''The Song of Troy'' (1998)Michelle Smith,
"Was Colleen McCullough under-regarded as a writer? The next few chapters will tell"
TheConversation.com; 29 January 2015. * '' Morgan's Run'' (2000) * '' The Touch'' (2003) * ''Angel Puss'' (2005) * ''The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet'' (2008) * ''Bittersweet'' (2013)

Masters of Rome ''Masters of Rome'' is a series of historical novels by Australian author Colleen McCullough, set in ancient Rome during the last days of the old Roman Republic; it primarily chronicles the lives and careers of Gaius Marius, Lucius Cornelius Su ...
series

# ''

The First Man in Rome ''The First Man in Rome'' is a 1990 historical novel by Australian author Colleen McCullough, and the first in her ''Masters of Rome'' series. The cast includes most of the major historical figures of the late Roman Republic, including Gaius Ma ...

'' (1990) # ''

The Grass Crown ''The Grass Crown'' is the second historical novel in Colleen McCullough's ''Masters of Rome'' series, published in 1991. The novel opens shortly after the action of ''The First Man in Rome''. Gaius Marius and Lucius Cornelius Sulla eat dinner ...

'' (1991) # ''Fortune's Favourites'' (1993) # ''

Caesar's Women ''Caesar's Women'' is the fourth historical novel in Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series, published in 1996. Plot summary The novel is set during a ten-year interval, from 68 to 58 BC, which Julius Caesar spent mainly in Rome, climbing ...

'' (1996) # ''

Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman people, Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caes ...

'' (1997) # ''

The October Horse ''The October Horse'' is the sixth novel in Colleen McCullough's ''Masters of Rome series''. Plot introduction The book begins with Gaius Julius Caesar's Egyptian campaign in Alexandria, his final battles with the Republicans led by Metellus Sc ...

'' (2002) # '' Antony and Cleopatra'' (2007)

Carmine Delmonico series

McCullough also published five murder mysteries in the Carmine Delmonico series. # ''On, Off'' (2006) # ''Too Many Murders'' (December 2009) # ''Naked Cruelty'' (2010) # ''The Prodigal Son'' (2012) # ''Sins of the Flesh'' (2013)

Biographical work

* ''The Courage and the Will: The Life of Roden Cutler VC'' (1999)Patricia Maunder
"Outspoken writer Colleen McCullough praised by all except literary establishment"
''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 30 January 2015.

Memoir

* ''Life Without the Boring Bits'' (2011)

Screen adaptations

* '' Tim'' – made into a movie in 1979 starring

Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor, film director, and producer. He is best known for his action hero roles, particularly his breakout role as Max Rockatansky in the first three films of the post-apoca ...

and

Piper Laurie Piper Laurie (born Rosetta Jacobs; January 22, 1932) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in the films ''The Hustler'' (1961), ''Carrie (1976 film), Carrie'' (1976), and ''Children of a Lesser God (film), Children of a Lesser God' ...

* ''

'' – made into a TV miniseries in 1983 starring

Richard Chamberlain George Richard Chamberlain (born March 31, 1934) is an American actor and singer, who became a teen idol in the title role of the television show '' Dr. Kildare'' (1961–1966). He subsequently appeared in several TV mini-series, such as ''Shō ...

and Barbara Stanwyck * ''

'' – made into a movie in 1985 starring

Gary Sweet Gary Sweet (born 22 May 1957) is an Australian film and television actor known for his roles in ''Alexandra's Project'' (as Steve), '' Police Rescue'' (as Sergeant "Mickey" McClintock), ''Cody'' (as Cody), '' Big Sky'' (as Chris Manning), ''Bod ...

* '' The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years'' – made into a TV miniseries in 1996 starring Richard Chamberlain. It covers a 14-year period from the novel which was omitted from the first production.

Notes

References

*Mary Jean DeMarr: ''Colleen McCullough: A Critical Companion''. Greenwood Publishing Group 1996; {{DEFAULTSORT:McCullough, Colleen 1937 births 2015 deaths 20th-century Australian novelists 21st-century Australian novelists 20th-century Australian women writers 21st-century Australian women writers 20th-century biographers Australian biographers Australian historical novelists Australian medical writers Australian people of Irish descent Australian people of Māori descent Australian people of New Zealand descent Australian Roman Catholics Australian women novelists Deaths from cerebrovascular disease Deaths from kidney failure Officers of the Order of Australia Women biographers Writers from New South Wales Writers of historical fiction set in antiquity Norfolk Island writers University of Sydney alumni Yale School of Medicine faculty Women historical novelists Norfolk Island people of New Zealand descent Australian women neuroscientists