Victor Kelleher (born 1939) is an
Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Au ...
author. Kelleher was born in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and moved to Africa with his parents, at the age of fifteen. He spent the next twenty years travelling and studying in Africa, before moving to New Zealand. Kelleher received a Masters from St Andrew's University and a Ph.D. in English Literature from The University of South Africa. He has taught in Africa, New Zealand and Australia. While in New Zealand, he began writing part-time, prompted by homesickness for Africa. He moved to Australia in 1976, with his South African wife, Alison, and was associate professor at the
University of New England, in
Armidale, New South Wales
Armidale is a city in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. Armidale had a population of 24,504 as of June 2018. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. It is the administrative centre for the Northern Tablelands region. It ...
, before moving to Sydney to write full-time. After receiving a grant from the Australia Council Literature Board, Kelleher spent six months of 1996 at the Kessing Writers' Studio in Paris.
Many of the books he has written have been based on his childhood and his travels in Africa.
Kelleher has won many awards for his books, such as the ''Australian Children's Book Award''.
Awards
* 1989 –
Children's Peace Literature Award
Children's Peace Literature Award is an Australian literary prize awarded every other year by the South Australian Psychologists for Peace, an interest group of the Australian Psychological Society.
The Children's Peace Literature Award was ina ...
* 1993 –
COOL Fiction for Older Readers Award (
CBCA) won for ''Del-Del''
* 1992 – nominated,
Ditmar Award, Best Novel or Collection award for ''Brother Night'' and ''Del Del''
* 1990 – nominated,
Ditmar Award, Best Australian Long Fiction award for ''The Red King''
* 1988 – nominated,
Ditmar Award, Best Australian Long Fiction award for ''The Makers''
* 1987 – nominated,
Ditmar Award, Best Australian Science Fiction or Fantasy Novel award for ''
Taronga
''Taronga'' (1986) is a young adult science fiction post-apocalyptic novel written by Australian author Victor Kelleher. The story revolves around the catastrophic disaster that destroys the Earth as we know it and its impact on Australia i ...
''
* 1985 –
Ditmar Award, Best Australian Novel award for ''Beast of Heaven''
* 1983 – Children's Book Council of Australia Award for Book of the Year for ''Master of the Grove"
List of books
Series
Parkland Series
*''Parkland'' (1994)-Book 1 of the Parkland Series
*''Earthsong'' (1995)-Book 2 of the Parkland Series
*''Fire Dancer'' (1996)-Book 3 of the Parkland Series
Gibblewort the Goblin series
*''Goblin in the Bush'' (2002)
*''Goblin on the Reef'' (2003)
*''Goblin in the City'' (2004)
*''Goblin in the Rainforest'' (2004)
*''Goblin at the Zoo'' (2005)
*''Goblin in the Snow'' (2005)
*''Goblin at the Beach'' (2007)
*''Gibblewort the Goblin: The Get Me Outta Here! Collection'' (2014)
*''Gibblewort the Goblin: The Winter Escape Collection'' (2014)
*''Gibblewort the Goblin: The Summer Holiday Collection'' (2014)
Novels
*''Forbidden Paths Of Thual'' (1979)
*''Voices from the River'' (1979)
*''The Hunting Of Shadroth'' (1981)
*''Master Of The Grove'' (1982)
*''Africa And After'' (1983)
*''Papio'' (1984)
*''The Green Piper'' (1984)
*''The Beast Of Heaven'' (1984)
*''
Taronga
''Taronga'' (1986) is a young adult science fiction post-apocalyptic novel written by Australian author Victor Kelleher. The story revolves around the catastrophic disaster that destroys the Earth as we know it and its impact on Australia i ...
'' (1986)
*''The Makers'' (1987)
*''Baily's Bones'' (1988)
*''Ern's Story'' (1988)
*''The Red King'' (1989)
*''Wintering'' (1990)
*''Brother Night'' (1990)
*''
Del-Del
''Del-Del'' is a psychological young adult novel written by Australian author Victor Kelleher and published in 1992. It deals with themes of loss and apparent demonic possession.
Plot
''Del-Del'' is narrated by Beth, a teenage girl whose young ...
'' (1992)
*''To The Dark Tower'' (1992)
*''Micky Darlin' '' (1992)
*''Rescue!
An African Adventure'' (1992)
*''Where The Whales Sing'' (1994)
*''Red Heart'' (1996)
*''Storyman'' (1996)
*''Slow Burn'' (1997)
*''Into The Dark'' (1999)
*''Riding The Whales'' (1999)
*''
The Ivory Trail
''The Ivory Trail'' is a 1999 young adult horror novel by Victor Kelleher. It follows the story of Jamie Hassan who is coming of age in a traditional mysticism bohemian family. He has a talent he does not want; reliving the lives of the long de ...
'' (1999)
*''Billy The Baked-Bean Kid'' (2002)
*''
Born of the Sea
''Born of the Sea'' is a 2003 horror novel by Victor Kelleher. It follows the story of Madeleine Sauvage, Frankenstein's bride from Mary Shelley's story, if she wasn't destroyed and laying in the bottom of the sea and goes out in search of her c ...
'' (2003)
*''The Grimes Family'' (2004)
*''Dogboy'' (2006)
Collections
*''The Traveller: Stories of Two Continents'' (1988)
*''Collected Stories'' (1997)
Aussie Bites
*''Magic Violin''
*''The Gorilla Suit''
* ''Tim and Tig'' (2007)
*''What Dino Saw''
Picture Books
*''Johnny Wombat'' (1996) (with Craig Smith)
*''Where's God?'' (2005) (illustrated by Elise Hurst)
Billy the Baked Bean Kid
As Veronica Hart
* ''Double God'' (1994)
* ''The House That Jack Built''
References
External links
Penguin Books Australia author profileFantastic Fiction Kelleher profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelleher, Victor
1939 births
Living people
English emigrants to Australia
Australian children's writers
Australian fantasy writers
Australian horror writers