Beloved Aussie author dies at age 74
Beloved Australian author John Marsden has died at the age of 74.
The best-selling writer published more than 40 books throughout his distinguished career, including the acclaimed Tomorrow series, which chronicled a fictional invasion and occupation of Australia.
The young adult series has been described as “the best series for Australian teens of all time”, selling millions of copies and sparking a successful movie and TV series.
Businessman Simon Holmes Court led the tributes to Mr Marsden in a touching post on X (formerly Twitter).
“He was one of the standout teachers through my schooling — in many ways similar to the character of John Keating in Dead Poets Society,” Mr Holmes a Court wrote.
“His 1st book So Much to Tell You was based on my year group — many identifiable characters. A gift to our year! Complex man, but I’m so glad to have crossed paths.”
Marsden won many major awards for children's and adult fiction, and in 2006 received the Lloyd O'Neil Award for contributions to Australian publishing.
Following the news of his death, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Marsden "wanted young Australians to read more and his writing made that happen".
"Vivid, funny, quintessentially Australian, he wrote with a real love for our land and a true sense of our people's character," Mr Albanese wrote on social media.
"John's work will live long in our national memory."
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