Heather Rose (born 1964) is an Australian author born in

Hobart, Tasmania Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/ Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

. She is the author of the acclaimed memoir Nothing Bad Ever Happens Here. She is best known for her novels ''The Museum of Modern Love'', which won the 2017

Stella Prize The Stella Prize is an Australian annual literary award established in 2013 for writing by Australian women in all genres, worth $50,000. It was originally proposed by Australian women writers and publishers in 2011, modelled on the UK's Baileys W ...

, and ''Bruny'' (2019), which won Best General Fiction in the 2020

Australian Book Industry Awards The Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) are publishers' and literary awards held by the Australian Publishers Association annually in Sydney "to celebrate the achievements of authors and publishers in bringing Australian books to readers". ...

. She has also worked in advertising, business, and the arts.

Early life and education

Heather Rose was born in Hobart,

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in 1964. By the age of sixteen she had a weekly column in the ''

Hobart Mercury ''The'' ''Mercury'' is a daily newspaper, published in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, by Davies Brothers Pty Ltd (DBL), a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of News Corp. The weekend issues of the paper are called ''Mercury on ...

'', and in 1981 won the Tasmanian Short Story Prize. She left school in 1982 and travelled widely through Asia and Europe. Returning to Australia in 1986, Rose became an advertising

copywriter Copywriting is the act or occupation of writing text for the purpose of advertising or other forms of marketing. The product, called copy or sales copy, is written content that aims to increase brand awareness and ultimately persuade a person or ...

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 metro ...

, until she returned to Tasmania 10 years later. Her first novel ''White Heart'' was published in 1999. Apart from writing fiction, Rose has had an extensive career in advertising, business, and the arts.

Writing career

Memoir

Heather's most recent work is a memoir - ''Nothing Bad Ever Happens Here'' - published in November, 2022. It has been widely reviewed and is shortlisted for the Indie Book Awards 2023.

Novels

Four of Rose's adult novels have been set in

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

– ''Bruny'', ''White Heart'', ''The Butterfly Man'', and ''The River Wife''. ''The Museum of Modern Love'' is set in New York. Rose's first adult novel, ''White Heart'', was published in 1999 by Transworld. It tells the story of two children growing up in

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

. One of them becomes involved in the Native American ritual of sun dancing and the other becomes a Tasmanian tiger hunter. Murray Waldren in ''

The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...

'' said: "Spirituality permeates Heather Rose's first novel, ''White Heart'', as much as the past haunts it. This story is a complex of interwoven, sometimes chimeric themes...A-class debut." Rose's second novel, ''The Butterfly Man'', was published by UQP in 2005, It recounts the story of

Lord Lucan Richard John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan (born 18 December 1934 – disappeared 8 November 1974, declared death in absentia, declared dead 3 February 2016), commonly known as Lord Lucan, was a British Peerages in the United Kingdom, peer who di ...

the

British Peer The peerages in the United Kingdom are a legal system comprising both hereditary and lifetime titles, composed of various noble ranks, and forming a constituent part of the British honours system. The term '' peerage'' can be used both coll ...

who disappeared from his family home in London after the murder of the family nanny in 1974. It is set in Hobart,

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

. ''The Butterfly Man'' won the

Davitt Award The Davitt Awards are literary awards which are presented annually by the Sisters in Crime Australia association. The awards are named in honour of Ellen Davitt (1812–1879) who wrote Australia's first mystery novel, ''Force and Fraud'' in 186 ...

for Crime Fiction Novel of the Year in 2006, was shortlisted for the Nita B Kibble Award, and longlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 2007. ''The River Wife'', Rose's third novel for adults, was published in 2009 by

Allen & Unwin George Allen & Unwin was a British publishing company formed in 1911 when Sir Stanley Unwin purchased a controlling interest in George Allen & Co. It went on to become one of the leading publishers of the twentieth century and to establish an ...

and described as "a beautiful, modern fable about the price we pay for love – a magical and original novel". It is set in the central highlands of

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

and has received significant acclaim from reviewers and readers where it has been hailed for the beauty of its storytelling. An abridged version of ''The River Wife'' was broadcast on

Radio National Radio National, known on-air as RN, is an Australia-wide public service broadcasting radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). From 1947 until 1985, the network was known as ABC Radio 2. History 1937: Predecessors a ...

in 2010. Rose has said of her first three novels: "I am passionately Tasmanian and my family has lived here many generations. I think of this book (''The River Wife'') as the third in a trilogy of books that dives into the Tasmanian landscape. The first—''White Heart''—is a sweeping view of the island told through the lens of childhood. The second—''The Butterfly Man''—dives closer into the seasons and landscape of Mt Wellington, the mountain that is the backdrop to Hobart. And ''The River Wife'' dives even more deeply into the central highlands, the very heart of Tasmania, and finds there a story, a myth, a fable that is uniquely Tasmanian. Perhaps it is no surprise that is it also a love story. Rose's fourth adult novel, ''The Museum of Modern Love'', is set in New York and inspired by the work and life of performance artist

Marina Abramović Marina Abramović ( sr-Cyrl, Марина Абрамовић, ; born November 30, 1946) is a Serbian conceptual and performance artist. Her work explores body art, endurance art, feminist art, the relationship between the performer and audi ...

. It was published by Allen & Unwin in Australia in August 2016. The novel won the 2017

, the 2017 Christina Stead Prize for Fiction in the

New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards The New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, also known as the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, were first awarded in 1979. They are among the richest literary awards in Australia. Notable prizes include the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, t ...

and the 2017 Margaret Scott Prize and the People's Choice Award in the

Tasmanian Premier's Literary Prizes The Tasmanian Premier's Literary Prizes are literary prizes that are awarded biennially in four categories by the Tasmanian Government. There are two panels of three judges: one for the book prizes, the other for the emerging writers and young wr ...

. It was shortlisted for the Australian Literary Society Gold Medal and the Queensland Premier's Prizes. It was also long listed for the 2018

International Dublin Literary Award The International Dublin Literary Award ( ga, Duais Liteartha Idirnáisiúnta Bhaile Átha Chliath), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. ...

. ''The Museum of Modern Love'' was launched in the United States at the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of t ...

(MoMA) in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, and has been translated into numerous languages. The Museum of Modern Love has been optioned for film by multi-award-winning production team GoodThing Productions ''Bruny'' (2019) has been described as "more a

hand grenade A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade ...

than a book". A political satire, thriller, family saga and love story, ''Bruny'' is a prescient look at the new world order and the relationship between China and Australia. ''Bruny'' won the General Fiction Book of the Year in the

, and was shortlisted for the Independent Bookseller Awards for Fiction. 'Bruny' has been optioned by Film Art Media. It is in development as a television series with producers Charlotte Seymour and Sue Maslin AO.

Children's novels

In 2013 Rose published her first children's novel ''Finding Serendipity'' co-authored with fellow award-winning writer Danielle Wood under the pen name Angelica Banks and published in Australia by

. It has also been published in Germany by Magellan and in the United States with Henry Holt (Macmillan). The second book in the Tuesday McGillycuddy series, ''A Week Without Tuesday'', was published in Australian in 2015, in Germany in 2015 and in the United States in 2016. It was shortlisted for the 2015 Aurealis Awards for Best Children's Fantasy Novel. The third book in the series, ''Blueberry Pancakes Forever'', was published in Australia and Germany in 2016, and in the United States in 2017. It was shortlisted for the 2016 Aurealis Awards for Best Children's Fantasy Novel.

Adaptations to theatre and film

In January 2022, the world premiere of a play adapted from ''The Museum of Modern Love'' by

Tom Holloway Tom Holloway is an Australian playwright, based in Melbourne . Holloway's plays have been performed across Australia and internationally, including '' Beyond the Neck'' at Belvoir St Theatre (2007), ''Red Sky Morning'' at Red Stitch Actors Theat ...

was staged at the

Sydney Festival Sydney Festival is a major arts festival in Australia's largest city, Sydney that runs for three weeks every January, since it was established in 1977. The festival program features in excess of 100 events from local and international artists an ...

. ''The Museum of Modern Love'' has been optioned for film by multi-award-winning production team GoodThing Productions. In April 2022

Screen Australia Screen Australia is the Australian Federal Government's key funding body for the Australian screen production industry, created under the ''Screen Australia Act 2008''. From 1 July 2008 Screen Australia took over the functions of its predecess ...

announced funding for a number of projects, including a six-part

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

based on ''Bruny''. It is to be written by playwright

Suzie Miller Suzie Miller is an Australian/British playwright, librettist and screenwriter. In April 2022, Miller made her West End debut with ''Prima Facie'' starring Jodie Comer. Overview Miller is a contemporary international playwright, librettist a ...

, produced by

Sue Maslin Sue Maslin is an Australian screen producer. She is best known for her feature films '' Road to Nhill'' (1997) ''Japanese Story'' (2003) and '' The Dressmaker'' (2015). Early life Maslin was raised in rural New South Wales, moving to Canbe ...

and Charlotte Seymour.

Other writing

Rose has also been published in several collections, including ''Some Girls Do'' edited by Jacinta Tynan (2007), ''Mosaic'' (2008) edited by Rosalind Bradley, and ''Dirty Words: A Literary Dictionary of Sex Terms'' (2008) edited by Ellen Sussman. She has also had fiction and non-fiction, including reviews, published in ''Island'' magazine, ''

Art & Australia Art & Australia Pty Ltd is a biannual digital magazine, the country's longest-running art journal, since 1963. Art & Australia (now Art + Australia) relaunched a new digital publishing platform in August 2022. History In May 2013, ''ARTAND ...

'', ''

Art Monthly ''Art Monthly'' is a magazine of contemporary art founded in 1976 by Jack Wendler and Peter Townsend. It is based in London and has an international scope, although its main focus is on British art. The magazine is published ten times a year (wi ...

'' and ''

Meanjin ''Meanjin'' (), formerly ''Meanjin Papers'' and ''Meanjin Quarterly'', is an Australian literary magazine. The name is derived from the Turrbal word for the spike of land where the city of Brisbane is located. It was founded in 1940 in Brisbane ...

''.

Business and the arts

In 1999, Rose co-founded an advertising agency, Coo'ee Tasmania, a member of the international Coo'ee Network across Europe,

Australasia Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologic ...

and the United States, with Rose as managing director. Growth of Coo'ee and the success of its campaigns led to Rose being named Telstra Tasmanian Business Woman of the Year 2004. Rose was chair of the Coo'ee Network of agencies across Australasia from 2005 to 2007. In 2007 Coo'ee Tasmania left the Coo'ee Network and partnered with Green Team Global in New York. Green Team Australia became Australia's first "

green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combin ...

" advertising agency specialising in community engagement. Green Team Australia has won over 25 international creative awards. In 2008 Rose was appointed chair of the Festival of Voices, a Hobart-based arts festival celebrating song, music and the voice. Over the following three years she built the festival into one of the state's leading annual festivals. The festival and Green Team Australia received both the Tasmanian and the national 2010 Australian Business Arts Foundation (ABAF) Award for

SMEs Superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) systems store energy in the magnetic field created by the flow of direct current in a superconducting coil which has been cryogenically cooled to a temperature below its superconducting critical ...

, through a partnership created by Rose. She is a mentor in the Tasmanian Leaders Program, which trains business people in leadership excellence. Rose was a founding board member of the Macquarie Point Development Corporation from 2012 to 2016. Rose was appointed as a trustee of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery in 2020.

Awards and honours

Books

* 2023 – Shortlisted for ''Nothing Bad Ever Happens Here'' for the Nonfiction prize, 2023 Indie Book Awards. * 2020 – Winner, General fiction book of the year, for ''Bruny'',

(ABIA) * 2020 – Shortlisted for ''Bruny'' for the

for best adult crime novel by Australian woman * 2020 – Shortlisted for ''Bruny'' Booksellers Choice Awards * 2020 – Shortlisted for the ''Bruny'' Indie Book Awards * 2020 – Longlisted for ''Bruny'' NIB Literary Awards* * 2018 – Longlisted for the

for ''The Museum of Modern Love'' * 2017 – Winner Tasmanian Premier's Literary Prizes - Margaret Scott Prize for best book by a Tasmanian author for ''The Museum of Modern Love'' * 2017 – Shortlisted

Queensland Literary Awards The Queensland Literary Awards is an awards program established in 2012 by the Queensland literary community, funded by sponsors and administered by the State Library of Queensland. Like the former Queensland Premier's Literary Awards, the QLAs ...

– Fiction for ''The Museum of Modern Love'' * 2017 – Shortlisted for the Australian Literary Society Gold Medal ''The Museum of Modern Love'' * 2017 – Winner the

Christina Stead Prize for Fiction The New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, also known as the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, were first awarded in 1979. They are among the richest literary awards in Australia. Notable prizes include the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, t ...

for ''The Museum of Modern Love'' * 2017 – Winner the

for ''The Museum of Modern Love'' * 2016 – Shortlisted for the

Aurealis Awards The Aurealis Award for Excellence in Speculative Fiction is an annual literary award for Australian science fiction, fantasy and horror fiction. Only Australians are eligible for the award. History The Aurealis Award was established in 1995 by ...

for ''Blueberry Pancakes Forever'' * 2015 – Shortlisted for the

for ''A Week Without Tuesday'' * 2007 – Recipient of the

Eleanor Dark Eleanor Dark AO (26 August 190111 September 1985) was an Australian writer whose novels included '' Prelude to Christopher'' (1934) and '' Return to Coolami'' (1936), both winners of the Australian Literature Society Gold Medal for literature ...

Fellowship at Varuna, The Writers' House, to work on the then unpublished ''The River Wife'' * 2007 – Longlisted for the IMPAC International Dublin Literary Award for ''The Butterfly Man'' * 2006 – Shortlisted for Nita B Kibble Literary Award for Women Writers for ''The Butterfly Man'' * 2006 – Winner,

for Crime Novel of the year for ''The Butterfly Man''

Other awards

* 2004 – Winner the Telstra Tasmanian Business Woman of the Year * 2010 – Winner the national Australian Business Arts Foundation SME Award * 2011 – Winner the national Australian Business Arts Foundation Woodside Better Business Award, for her extensive philanthropic contribution to Festival of Voices

Selected bibliography

Adult novels

* ''White Heart'' (1999, Transworld Publishers) * ''The Butterfly Man'' (2005, UQP) * ''The River Wife'' (2009, Allen & Unwin) * ''The Museum of Modern Love'' (2016, Allen & Unwin) * ''Bruny'' (2019, Allen & Unwin)

Children's novels

* ''Tuesday McGillycuddy series'' (as Angelica Banks, with Danielle Wood) ** ''Finding Serendipity'' (2013, Allen & Unwin) (Magellan, Germany) (Henry Holt, USA) ** ''A Week Without Tuesday'' (2015, Allen & Unwin) (Magellan, Germany) (Henry Holt, USA) ** ''Blueberry Pancakes Forever'' (2016, Allen & Unwin) (Magellan, Germany) (Henry Holt, USA)

Memoir

* ''Nothing Bad Ever Happens Here'' (2022, Allen & Unwin)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rose, Heather 1964 births Living people Australian women novelists Writers from Tasmania Australian advertising executives University of Tasmania alumni 20th-century Australian novelists 20th-century Australian short story writers 20th-century Australian women writers 21st-century Australian novelists 21st-century Australian short story writers 21st-century Australian women writers