Melina Marchetta
Encyclopedia
Melina Marchetta is an Australian writer and teacher. She is the middle child of three daughters. Melina is best known as the author of Looking For Alibrandi
. She has twice been awarded the CBCA
Book of the Year for Older Readers, in 1993 and 2004.
on 25 March 1965. She is of Italian descent. Melina attended high school at Rosebank College in the Sydney suburb of Five Dock. She left school at age fifteen as she was not confident in her academic ability. She then enrolled in a business school
where she gained useful office skills, such as typing, which helped her gain employment with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and later at a travel agency where she worked as a consultant. This work gave her confidence to return to school and gain a teaching degree. She then got a job teaching at St Mary's Cathedral College, Sydney
in the heart of the Sydney CBD until 2006. She now writes full time.
Her first novel Looking for Alibrandi was released in 1992 to much acclaim with a first print-run sellout within two months of its release. Published in 14 countries, including 11 translated editions, Looking for Alibrandi swept the pool of literary awards for young adult fiction in 1993 including the coveted Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book of the Year Award (Older Readers). Dubbed "the most stolen library book" the popular novel has sold more than half a million copies worldwide and was followed by her film adaptation of the same title released in 1999.
While writing the AFI award-winning screenplay Melina taught English, Italian and History full time for ten years at a city high school for boys. During that time she released her second novel Saving Francesca in 2003, followed by On the Jellicoe Road in 2006. Both novels have been published in more than 6 countries, with Saving Francesca translated into 4 languages. On the Jellicoe Road was recently awarded the prestigious 2009 US Michael Printz Award for excellence in young adult literature.
Melina's fourth novel, the fantasy epic Finnikin of the Rock, was released by Penguin Australia in October 2008. It has since won the 2008 Aurelius Award for Best Young Adult Novel and the 2009 ABIA (Australian Booksellers Industry Awards) Book of the Year for Older Children, and was recently shortlisted for the 2009 Children's Book Council of the Year (Older Readers) Award. In the USA Finnikin has received starred reviews from Publisher's Weekly, School Library Journal, Booklist and Bulletin Centre for Children's Books.
Melina has also written short stories including the recent Twelve Minutes - part of the Books Alive anthology 10 SHORT STORIES YOU MUST READ THIS YEAR, along with reviews and opinion pieces for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian and The Australian Literary Review
. She has also been a writer-in-residence around the country, as far north as Thursday Island and as far south as Hobart.
Her fifth novel The Piper’s Son was released in Australia in 2010
(2000), a film starring Pia Miranda
, Greta Scacchi
and Anthony La Paglia. The film received rave reviews and was a huge box office success, winning five awards including an AFL award and an Independent Film Award for best screenplay, as well as the NSW Premier's Literary Award and the Film Critics Circle of Australia Award.
Looking For Alibrandi (novel)
Looking for Alibrandi is the debut novel of Australian author Melina Marchetta, published in 1990. A film adaptation was made in 1999.-Plot summary:...
. She has twice been awarded the CBCA
Children's Book Council of Australia
The Children's Book Council of Australia is a not for profit organisation which aims to engage the community with literature for young Australians. The CBCA presents annual awards for books of literary merit, for outstanding contribution to Australian children's literature.-Awards:The first...
Book of the Year for Older Readers, in 1993 and 2004.
Biography
Melina Marchettaborn in SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
on 25 March 1965. She is of Italian descent. Melina attended high school at Rosebank College in the Sydney suburb of Five Dock. She left school at age fifteen as she was not confident in her academic ability. She then enrolled in a business school
Business school
A business school is a university-level institution that confers degrees in Business Administration. It teaches topics such as accounting, administration, economics, entrepreneurship, finance, information systems, marketing, organizational behavior, public relations, strategy, human resource...
where she gained useful office skills, such as typing, which helped her gain employment with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and later at a travel agency where she worked as a consultant. This work gave her confidence to return to school and gain a teaching degree. She then got a job teaching at St Mary's Cathedral College, Sydney
St Mary's Cathedral College, Sydney
St Mary's Cathedral College is a private, Catholic, secondary day school for boys, located in the Central Business District of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is owned by the Archbishop of Sydney and operates as a systemic school....
in the heart of the Sydney CBD until 2006. She now writes full time.
Her first novel Looking for Alibrandi was released in 1992 to much acclaim with a first print-run sellout within two months of its release. Published in 14 countries, including 11 translated editions, Looking for Alibrandi swept the pool of literary awards for young adult fiction in 1993 including the coveted Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book of the Year Award (Older Readers). Dubbed "the most stolen library book" the popular novel has sold more than half a million copies worldwide and was followed by her film adaptation of the same title released in 1999.
While writing the AFI award-winning screenplay Melina taught English, Italian and History full time for ten years at a city high school for boys. During that time she released her second novel Saving Francesca in 2003, followed by On the Jellicoe Road in 2006. Both novels have been published in more than 6 countries, with Saving Francesca translated into 4 languages. On the Jellicoe Road was recently awarded the prestigious 2009 US Michael Printz Award for excellence in young adult literature.
Melina's fourth novel, the fantasy epic Finnikin of the Rock, was released by Penguin Australia in October 2008. It has since won the 2008 Aurelius Award for Best Young Adult Novel and the 2009 ABIA (Australian Booksellers Industry Awards) Book of the Year for Older Children, and was recently shortlisted for the 2009 Children's Book Council of the Year (Older Readers) Award. In the USA Finnikin has received starred reviews from Publisher's Weekly, School Library Journal, Booklist and Bulletin Centre for Children's Books.
Melina has also written short stories including the recent Twelve Minutes - part of the Books Alive anthology 10 SHORT STORIES YOU MUST READ THIS YEAR, along with reviews and opinion pieces for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian and The Australian Literary Review
Australian Literary Review
The Australian Literary Review was a monthly supplement to The Australian newspaper established in September 2006 and published on the first Wednesday of each month. It was considered to be a continuation of The Australian's Review of Books, which was a supplement published between 1996 and 2001...
. She has also been a writer-in-residence around the country, as far north as Thursday Island and as far south as Hobart.
Her fifth novel The Piper’s Son was released in Australia in 2010
Awards and nominations
- Children's Book CouncilChildren's Book CouncilAccording to their website, the Children's Book Council is a United States "nonprofit trade association of publishers and packagers of trade books and related materials for children and young adults."...
Book of the Year Award, Book of the Year: Older Readers, 1993: winner for Looking for Alibrandi - Film Critics Circle of Australia, Best Screenplay - Adapted, 2000: winner for Looking for Alibrandi
- New South Wales Premier's Literary AwardsNew South Wales Premier's Literary AwardsThe New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards were established in 1979 by the New South Wales Premier Neville Wran. Commenting on its purpose, Wran said: "We want the arts to take, and be seen to take, their proper place in our social priorities...
, Script Writing Award, 2000: winner for Looking for Alibrandi - Australian Film InstituteAustralian Film InstituteThe Australian Film Institute was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry...
Award, Best Adapted Screenplay, 2000: winner for Looking for Alibrandi - BILBY (Books I Love Best Yearly) Awards, Older Readers, ca.2000: winner for Looking for Alibrandi
- South Australia Premier's Awards, Children's Literature Award, 2004: shortlisted for Saving Francesca
- Children's Book CouncilChildren's Book CouncilAccording to their website, the Children's Book Council is a United States "nonprofit trade association of publishers and packagers of trade books and related materials for children and young adults."...
Book of the Year Award, Book of the Year: Older Readers, 2004: winner for Saving San Francesca - Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA), Australian Book of the Year for Older Children, 2007: shortlisted for On the Jellicoe Road
- Queensland Premier's Literary AwardsQueensland Premier's Literary AwardsThe Queensland Premier's Literary Awards were inaugurated in 1999 and have grown to become a leading literary awards program within Australia, with $225,000 in prizemoney over 14 categories. One of Australia's richest prizes, top categories offer up to $25,000 for 1st prize.-Fiction Book...
, Best Young Adult Book, 2007: shortlisted for On the Road - Aurealis AwardAurealis AwardAurealis 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:...
, Young Adult Division, Best Long Fiction, 2008: winner for Finnikin of the Rock - Michael L. Printz AwardMichael L. Printz AwardThe Michael L. Printz Award is an annual award in the United States for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. It is named for a school librarian from Topeka, Kansas, who was a long-time active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association...
for Excellence in Young Adult Literature, 2009: winner for On the Jellicoe Road
Screenplay
Marchetta wrote the screenplay for the film Looking For AlibrandiLooking for Alibrandi
Looking for Alibrandi is a 1999 Australian film written by Melina Marchetta based on the novel of the same name. The film sets in the 1990s Sydney, New South Wales and starring Australian actors, including Pia Miranda as Josephine Alibrandi, the film's main character, Anthony LaPaglia as her...
(2000), a film starring Pia Miranda
Pia Miranda
Pia Miranda is an Australian, multi-award-winning actress whose career was launched with her successful 1999 role in the feature film Looking for Alibrandi, an Australian film based on the novel by Melina Marchetta....
, Greta Scacchi
Greta Scacchi
Greta Scacchi is an Italian-Australian actor.-Early life:Scacchi was born Greta Gracco in Milan, Italy, on 18 February 1960, the daughter of Luca Scacchi Gracco, an Italian art dealer and painter, and Pamela Carsaniga, an English dancer and antiques dealer...
and Anthony La Paglia. The film received rave reviews and was a huge box office success, winning five awards including an AFL award and an Independent Film Award for best screenplay, as well as the NSW Premier's Literary Award and the Film Critics Circle of Australia Award.