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Revision as of 21:42, 30 January 2015 editIntoThinAir (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, New page reviewers, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers114,579 edits →Life: invoke← Previous edit Revision as of 20:23, 31 January 2015 edit undoMedeis (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users49,187 edits →Life: unsourced, except for The Australian, which says she was apparently a monarchist, and gives no source or attribution (in other words they read our article)Next edit →
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Before entering tertiary education, she previously earned a living as a teacher, librarian and journalist.<ref name="Mary Jean DeMarr Page 2"/> In her first year of medical studies at the ] she suffered ] from surgical soap and was told to abandon her dreams of becoming a medical doctor. Instead, she switched to ] and worked in ] in Sydney.<ref name=guardian/> Before entering tertiary education, she previously earned a living as a teacher, librarian and journalist.<ref name="Mary Jean DeMarr Page 2"/> In her first year of medical studies at the ] she suffered ] from surgical soap and was told to abandon her dreams of becoming a medical doctor. Instead, she switched to ] and worked in ] in Sydney.<ref name=guardian/>


In 1963, she moved for four years to the United Kingdom; at the Great Ormond Street hospital in London, she met the chairman of the neurology department at ] who offered her a research associate job at Yale. McCullough spent ten years from April 1967 to 1976 researching and teaching in the Department of Neurology at the ] in ], United States. It was while at Yale that she wrote her first two books. One of these, '']'', became an international best seller that in 1983 was turned into one of the most watched television mini-series of all time.{{cn|date=January 2015}} In 1963, she moved for four years to the United Kingdom; at the Great Ormond Street hospital in London, she met the chairman of the neurology department at ] who offered her a research associate job at Yale. McCullough spent ten years from April 1967 to 1976 researching and teaching in the Department of Neurology at the ] in ], United States. It was while at Yale that she wrote her first two books. One of these, '']'', became an international best seller that in 1983 was turned into one of the most watched television mini-series of all time.<ref name="nyt"/>


The success of these books enabled her to give up her medical-scientific career and to try to "live on her own terms" <ref>Mary Jean DeMarr, Colleen McCullough: a critical companion, Page 3</ref> The success of these books enabled her to give up her medical-scientific career and to try to "live on her own terms" <ref>Mary Jean DeMarr, Colleen McCullough: a critical companion, Page 3</ref>
In the late 1970s, after stints in London and Connecticut, USA, she finally settled on the isolation of ] in the ], where she met her husband, Ric Robinson, whom she married on 13 April 1983.{{cn|date=January 2015}} In the late 1970s, after stints in London and Connecticut, USA, she finally settled on the isolation of ] in the ], where she met her husband, Ric Robinson.<ref name="nyt"/>


In 1984, a portrait of Colleen McCullough, painted by Wesley Walters, was a finalist in the ]. The prize is awarded for the "best portrait painting preferentially of some man or woman distinguished in Art, Letters, Science or Politics".<ref name = "arch">{{cite web |title= Archibald Prize 07 |publisher= Art Gallery NSW |url= http://www.thearchibaldprize.com.au/finalists |accessdate=2007-07-19}}</ref> In 1984, a portrait of Colleen McCullough, painted by Wesley Walters, was a finalist in the ]. The prize is awarded for the "best portrait painting preferentially of some man or woman distinguished in Art, Letters, Science or Politics".<ref name = "arch">{{cite web |title= Archibald Prize 07 |publisher= Art Gallery NSW |url= http://www.thearchibaldprize.com.au/finalists |accessdate=2007-07-19}}</ref>


The depth of historical research for the novels on ancient Rome led to her being awarded a ] degree by ] in 1993.<ref>ABC NSW http://www.abc.net.au/nsw/stories/s376367.htm Retrieved 2009-08-15</ref> The depth of historical research for the novels on ancient Rome led to her being awarded a ] degree by ] in 1993.<ref>ABC NSW http://www.abc.net.au/nsw/stories/s376367.htm Retrieved 2009-08-15</ref>

McCullough was a member of the ] and was a fellow of the ].{{cn|date=January 2015}}

McCollough was a well-known monarchist.{{cn|date=January 2015}}


Her 2008 novel '']'' engendered controversy with her reworking of characters from ]'s '']''. Susannah Fullerton, the president of the Jane Austen Society of Australia, said she "shuddered" that Elizabeth Bennet was rewritten as weak, and Mr. Darcy as savage. "She is one of the strongest, liveliest heroines in literature … Darcy'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?" <ref>http://www.stevedow.com.au/Default.aspx?id=360</ref> Her 2008 novel '']'' engendered controversy with her reworking of characters from ]'s '']''. Susannah Fullerton, the president of the Jane Austen Society of Australia, said she "shuddered" that Elizabeth Bennet was rewritten as weak, and Mr. Darcy as savage. "She is one of the strongest, liveliest heroines in literature … Darcy'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?" <ref>http://www.stevedow.com.au/Default.aspx?id=360</ref>
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==Bibliography== ==Bibliography==


===Novels=== ===Selected novels===


* '']'' (1974) * '']'' (1974)
* '']'' (1977) * '']'' (1977)
* '']'' (1981) * '']'' (1981)
* ''A Creed for the Third Millennium'' (1985){{cn|date=January 2015}} * ''A Creed for the Third Millennium'' (1985)<ref name="nyt">
By MARGALIT FOX
JAN. 29, 2015</ref>
* '']'' (1987) * '']'' (1987)
* ''The Song of Troy'' (1998){{cn|date=January 2015}} * ''The Song of Troy'' (1998)<ref name="conversation">
⚫ * '']'' (2000){{cn|date=January 2015}}
Michelle Smith
January 29 2015
"Was Colleen McCullough under-regarded as a writer? The next few chapters will tell"</ref>
⚫ * '']'' (2000)<ref name="nyt"/>
* '']'' (2003) * '']'' (2003)
* ''Angel Puss'' (2004){{cn|date=January 2015}} <!--Needs Ref * ''Angel Puss'' (2004){{cn|date=January 2015}}-->
* ''The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet'' (2008){{cn|date=January 2015}} * ''The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet'' (2008)<ref name="nyt"/>
* ''Bittersweet'' (2013){{cn|date=January 2015}} * ''Bittersweet'' (2013)<ref name="conversation"/>


===Masters of Rome series=== ===Masters of Rome series===
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===Carmine Delmonico series=== ===Carmine Delmonico series===
In addition to her seven Masters of Rome novels and eleven othes not in series, McCullough also published five murder mysteries in the Carmine Demonico series.<ref name="conversation"/>
{{unref|section|date=January 2015}}
# ''On, Off'' (2006) # ''On, Off'' (2006)
# ''Too Many Murders'' (December 2009) # ''Too Many Murders'' (December 2009)
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# ''Sins of the Flesh'' (2013) # ''Sins of the Flesh'' (2013)


===Biography=== ===Biographies===


* ''The Courage and the Will: The Life of Roden Cutler VC'' (1999){{cn|date=January 2015}} * ''The Courage and the Will: The Life of Roden Cutler VC'' (1999)<ref name="syd">''''
Patricia Maunder
Outspoken writer Colleen McCullough praised by all except literary establishment
January 30, 2015</ref>


==Screen adaptations== ==Screen adaptations==
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* '']'' &ndash; made into a movie in 1985 starring ] * '']'' &ndash; made into a movie in 1985 starring ]
* '']'' &ndash; 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. * '']'' &ndash; 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.
* '']'' &ndash; a 1996 adaptation of the novel ''Tim''{{cn|date=January 2015}} <!--temporarily hide as not notable, needs source other than amazon * '']'' &ndash; a 1996 adaptation of the novel ''Tim''{{cn|date=January 2015}}-->


==Notes== ==Notes==

Revision as of 20:23, 31 January 2015

Colleen McCullough
Born(1937-06-01)1 June 1937
Wellington, New South Wales, Australia
Died29 January 2015(2015-01-29) (aged 77)
Norfolk Island
OccupationNovelist, Neuroscientist
GenreFiction, Fantasy, Drama
SpouseRic Robinson
(m 1983)

Colleen McCullough-Robinson AO (1 June 1937 – 29 January 2015) was an internationally famous Australian author, known for her novels, her best-known work being the The Thorn Birds.

Life

McCullough was born in Wellington, in Central West New South Wales, in 1937 to James and Laurie McCullough. Her mother was a New Zealander of part-Māori descent. During her childhood, her family moved around a great deal, and she was also "a voracious reader". Her family eventually settled in Sydney, and she attended Holy Cross College Woollahra, having a strong interest in the humanities.

Before entering tertiary education, she previously earned a living as a teacher, librarian and journalist. In her first year of medical studies at the University of Sydney she suffered dermatitis from surgical soap and was told to abandon her dreams of becoming a medical doctor. Instead, she switched to neuroscience and worked in Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney.

In 1963, she moved for four years to the United Kingdom; at the Great Ormond Street hospital in London, she met the chairman of the neurology department at Yale University who offered her a research associate job at Yale. McCullough spent ten years from April 1967 to 1976 researching and teaching in the Department of Neurology at the Yale Medical School in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. It was while at Yale that she wrote her first two books. One of these, The Thorn Birds, became an international best seller that in 1983 was turned into one of the most watched television mini-series of all time.

The success of these books enabled her to give up her medical-scientific career and to try to "live on her own terms" In the late 1970s, after stints in London and Connecticut, USA, she finally settled on the isolation of Norfolk Island in the Pacific, where she met her husband, Ric Robinson.

In 1984, a portrait of Colleen McCullough, painted by Wesley Walters, was a finalist in the Archibald Prize. 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 degree by Macquarie University in 1993.

Her 2008 novel The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet engendered controversy with her reworking of characters from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Susannah Fullerton, the president of the Jane Austen Society of Australia, said she "shuddered" that Elizabeth Bennet was rewritten as weak, and Mr. Darcy as savage. "She is one of the strongest, liveliest heroines in literature … Darcy'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?"

McCullough died on 29 January 2015 at the age of 77 in Norfolk Island from apparent kidney failure after suffering from a series of small strokes, she had failing eyesight and was confined to a wheelchair..

Bibliography

Selected novels

Masters of Rome series

  1. The First Man in Rome (1990)
  2. The Grass Crown (1991)
  3. Fortune's Favorites (1993)
  4. Caesar's Women (1996)
  5. Caesar (1997)
  6. The October Horse (2002)
  7. Antony and Cleopatra (2007)

Carmine Delmonico series

In addition to her seven Masters of Rome novels and eleven othes not in series, McCullough also published five murder mysteries in the Carmine Demonico series.

  1. On, Off (2006)
  2. Too Many Murders (December 2009)
  3. Naked Cruelty (2010)
  4. The Prodigal Son (2012)
  5. Sins of the Flesh (2013)

Biographies

  • The Courage and the Will: The Life of Roden Cutler VC (1999)

Screen adaptations

Notes

  1. the age,com/colleen-mccullough=author-of-the-thorn-birds-dies-220150129-13dka.html
  2. About Colleen McCullough http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/colleen-mccullough/ Retrieved 2009-08-15
  3. Enough Rope - Transcript of McCullough interview with Andrew Denton (24 September 2007)
  4. ^ Mary Jean DeMarr, Colleen McCullough: a critical companion, Page 2
  5. ^ Cheetham, Anthony (30 January 2015). "Colleen McCullough obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  6. ^ Colleen McCullough, Author of ‘The Thorn Birds,’ Dies at 77 By MARGALIT FOX JAN. 29, 2015
  7. Mary Jean DeMarr, Colleen McCullough: a critical companion, Page 3
  8. "Archibald Prize 07". Art Gallery NSW. Retrieved 19 July 2007.
  9. ABC NSW http://www.abc.net.au/nsw/stories/s376367.htm Retrieved 2009-08-15
  10. http://www.stevedow.com.au/Default.aspx?id=360
  11. Susan Wyndham. "Colleen McCullough, author of The Thorn Birds, dies". The Age.
  12. Fox, Margalit (29 January 2015). "Colleen McCullough, Author of 'The Thorn Birds,' Dies at 77". New York Times. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  13. ^ The Conversation Michelle Smith January 29 2015 "Was Colleen McCullough under-regarded as a writer? The next few chapters will tell"
  14. Sydney Morning Herald Patricia Maunder Outspoken writer Colleen McCullough praised by all except literary establishment January 30, 2015

References

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