Helen Garner writes novels, stories, screenplays and works of non-fiction. In 2006 she received the inaugural Melbourne Prize for Literature, and in 2016 she won the prestigious Windham–Campbell Prize for non-fiction. In 2019 she was honoured with the Australia Council Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature. And in 2023 she was awarded the ASA Medal for her outstanding contribution to Australian literature. Her works include Monkey Grip, The Children’s Bach, The First Stone, The Spare Room, This House of Grief and three volumes of her diaries. She lives in Melbourne.
‘One of Australia's foremost authors, admired by writers as different as Raymond Carver and Elizabeth Jolley.’ * Independent * ‘Not long ago I read Helen Garner for the first time and was so stunned that I wanted to run around the block; how strange, how wonderful, that a book can still make me feel that way.’ * Rumaan Alam * 'There are very few writers that I admire more than Helen Garner.’ * David Nicholls * ‘A voice of great honesty and energy.’ * Anne Enright *