Nick Earls
Encyclopedia
Nick Earls is an award-winning novelist from Brisbane
, Australia
. He writes humorous popular fiction about everyday life, and is often compared to Nick Hornby
. The majority of Earls' novels are set in his hometown of Brisbane, a fact which led to his high local profile, and his fronting of a major Brisbane tourism campaign.
at the age of nine in 1972 with his parents and sister, and attended the Anglican Church Grammar School
while living in Brisbane. He completed a medical degree at the University of Queensland
, and worked as a GP
before turning to writing.
in 1998 (sharing with Kiran Desai
's Hullaballoo in the Guava Orchard). His young-adult novel, 48 Shades of Brown
, won the Children's Book Council of Australia
Book of the Year Award for older readers in 2000. Several of his novels (After January and 48 Shades of Brown) have been adapted for theatre, and 48 Shades of Brown was adapted into a film entitled 48 Shades
, released in August 2006. Earls has also written other novels, including Bachelor Kisses (which borrows its title from a song by incendiary Brisbane band The Go-Betweens
), Perfect Skin, World of Chickens, The Thompson Gunner, and young adult novels After January, and Making Laws for Clouds.
Earls has also contributed to the four best-selling anthologies in the Girls' Night In series as well as Kids' Night In and Kids' Night In 2 as editor. His most recent novels are The True Story of Butterfish, about a former rock star re-adjusting to mundane life in the Brisbane suburbs; Monica Bloom, based on his own adolescent experience of an ill-fated crush; and Joel and Cat Set the Story Straight, co-written with fellow Brisbane author Rebecca Sparrow.
Several of his books have been adapted for the stage by Brisbane's La Boite Theatre.
He has admitted to once editing his own Wikipedia page.
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. He writes humorous popular fiction about everyday life, and is often compared to Nick Hornby
Nick Hornby
Nick Hornby is an English novelist, essayist and screenwriter. He is best known for the novels High Fidelity, About a Boy, and for the football memoir Fever Pitch. His work frequently touches upon music, sport, and the aimless and obsessive natures of his protagonists.-Life and career:Hornby was...
. The majority of Earls' novels are set in his hometown of Brisbane, a fact which led to his high local profile, and his fronting of a major Brisbane tourism campaign.
Biography
Nick Earls emigrated to Australia from Northern IrelandNorthern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
at the age of nine in 1972 with his parents and sister, and attended the Anglican Church Grammar School
Anglican Church Grammar School
The Anglican Church Grammar School , is an independent, Anglican, day and boarding school for boys, located in East Brisbane, an inner suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.Founded in 1912 by Canon William Perry French Morris, Churchie has a non-selective...
while living in Brisbane. He completed a medical degree at the University of Queensland
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
, and worked as a GP
General practitioner
A general practitioner is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. They have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues and comorbidities...
before turning to writing.
Career
Zigzag Street, his second novel, won the Betty Trask AwardBetty Trask Award
The Betty Trask Prize and Awards are for first novels written by authors under the age of 35, who reside in a current or former Commonwealth nation. The awards were established in 1984 by the Society of Authors, at the bequest of the late Betty Trask, a reclusive author of over thirty romance novels...
in 1998 (sharing with Kiran Desai
Kiran Desai
Kiran Desai is an Indian author who is a citizen of India and a permanent resident of the United States. Her novel The Inheritance of Loss won the 2006 Man Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Fiction Award...
's Hullaballoo in the Guava Orchard). His young-adult novel, 48 Shades of Brown
48 Shades of Brown
48 Shades of Brown is the title of a young-adult novel by Australian author Nick Earls, published by Penguin Books in 1999. The novel was awarded Children's Book of the Year: Older Readers by the Children's Book Council of Australia in 2000...
, won the Children's Book Council of Australia
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 Award for older readers in 2000. Several of his novels (After January and 48 Shades of Brown) have been adapted for theatre, and 48 Shades of Brown was adapted into a film entitled 48 Shades
48 Shades
48 Shades, based on Nick Earls' popular novel 48 Shades of Brown, is a 2006 Australian comedy by debut director Daniel Lapaine starring Richard Wilson, Emma Lung, Robin McLeavy and Victoria Thaine....
, released in August 2006. Earls has also written other novels, including Bachelor Kisses (which borrows its title from a song by incendiary Brisbane band The Go-Betweens
The Go-Betweens
The Go-Betweens were an indie rock band formed in Brisbane, Australia in 1977 by singer-songwriters and guitarists, Robert Forster and Grant McLennan. They were later joined by Lindy Morrison on drums, Robert Vickers on bass guitar and Amanda Brown on violin, oboe, guitar, and backing vocals,...
), Perfect Skin, World of Chickens, The Thompson Gunner, and young adult novels After January, and Making Laws for Clouds.
Earls has also contributed to the four best-selling anthologies in the Girls' Night In series as well as Kids' Night In and Kids' Night In 2 as editor. His most recent novels are The True Story of Butterfish, about a former rock star re-adjusting to mundane life in the Brisbane suburbs; Monica Bloom, based on his own adolescent experience of an ill-fated crush; and Joel and Cat Set the Story Straight, co-written with fellow Brisbane author Rebecca Sparrow.
Several of his books have been adapted for the stage by Brisbane's La Boite Theatre.
He has admitted to once editing his own Wikipedia page.
Literary works
| Year | Work | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | The Fix | novel | |
| 2009 | The True Story of Butterfish | novel | |
| 2007 | Joel and Cat Set the Story Straight | yound adult novel, co-written with Rebecca Sparrow | |
| A revealed life : Australian writers and their journeys in memoir | collection of memoirs from Australian writers, including Nick Earls, edited by Julianne Schultz | ||
| 2006 | Monica Bloom | young adult novel | |
| Making waves : 10 years of the Byron Bay Writers Festival | collection of short works by Australian authors, including Nick Earls, edited by Marele Day, Susan Bradley Smith and Fay Knight | ||
| 2004 | 48 Shades of Brown | young adult novel | |
| The Thompson Gunner | novel | ||
| 2003 | Kid's Night In | edited by Jessica Adams, Juliet Partridge and Nick Earls | |
| 2002 | Making Laws for Clouds | young adult novel | |
| 2001 | World of Chickens | novel | |
| 2000 | Penguin Australian Summer Stories 3 | collection of short stories by Australian authors including Nick Earls | |
| Perfect Skin | novel | ||
| 1999 | Headgames | collection of original short stories by Earls | |
| 1998 | Bachelor Kisses | novel | |
| There Must Be Lions: Stories About Mental Illness | with Sonya Hartnett and Heide Seaman, features Nick Earl's short story There Must Be Lions | ||
| The Gift of Story | edited by Marion Halligan and Rosanne Fitzgibbon, features Nick Earls' short story Plaza | ||
| 1996 | Zigzag Street | novel | |
| After January | young adult novel | ||
| Smashed: Australian drinking stories | collection, edited by Matthew Condon and Richard Lawson, includes Nick Earls' short story Green | ||
| Original Sin | edited by Robyn Sheahan, includes Nick Earls' short story Box-shaped Heart | ||
| Sporting Declaration | edited by Manfred Jurgensen, includes Nick Earls' short story PE | ||
| Blur: Stories by young Australian writers | edited by James Bradley, includes Nick Earls' short story Head games | ||
| 1995 | Paradise To Paranoia: New Queensland Writing | edited by Nigel Krauth and Robyn Sheehan, includes Nick Earls' short story Meanwhile, thirty-eight above Charlotte | |
| Picador New Writing 3 | edited by Drusilla Modjeska and Beth Yahp, includes Nick Earls' short story The Goatflap brothers and the house of names | ||
| Nightmares In Paradise | compiled by Robyn Sheahan, includes Nick Earls' short story Juliet | ||
| 1993 | Queensland: Words and All | edited by Manfred Jurgensen, includes Nick Earls' short stories Moving and Dog 1, Dog 2 | |
| 1992 | Passion | short story | |
| 1985 | Near and Far Away | ||