The literary community has woken up to the devastating news of the death of one of the giants of OzLit. John Marsden has died at age 74. Born in 1950 in Melbourne, the writer has over 40 books to his name, with his works not only translated into multiple languages, but also winning every major award in Australia for young people’s fiction.
Even though Marsden’s suite of creative works includes picture books, poetry and non-fiction, he was best known for his hugely influential novel, Tomorrow, When The War began (1993), the first of a series of young adult novels that tracked a fictional rural town in Australia being invaded and occupied by a foreign force, and a guerrilla-band of teenagers, led by resourceful protagonist Ellie Linton, who resisted capitulation and fought back. The book was later made into a feature film (2010) and then a TV series (2016).