Colleen McCullough Writer Date of Birth: 01.07.1937 Country: Australia

Biography of Colleen McCullough

Colleen McCullough-Robinson, an Australian writer, was born in 1937 in Wellington, New South Wales, into a modest family. From an early age, she showed her talents in drawing and poetry, but her parents, who had experienced and not forgotten the Great Depression, wanted something more practical for their daughter. Thus, Colleen obediently received a medical education at the University of Sydney and pursued a career in neuropsychology. It is worth noting that the humanitarian Colleen was not opposed to becoming a doctor, as she was also drawn to this profession. She established the Department of Neuropsychology at the Royal North Shore Hospital, where she served as its head for five years. However, this came later. Initially, lacking the means for further education and unable to receive assistance from her parents, Colleen worked as a junior medical staff.

In 1963, Colleen moved to London and then to the United States, where she spent ten years conducting scientific research and teaching at Yale Medical School. It was during these "Yale" years that McCullough wrote her first two novels. Her literary debut came in 1974 with the novel "Tim," and three years later, her famous novel "The Thorn Birds" was published, which was subsequently translated into more than 20 languages. This saga about three generations of Australians brought Colleen McCullough worldwide fame. Many generations of girls have shed tears over this book, and it has become a record-breaker in terms of theatrical adaptations and the basis for several film versions. However, McCullough cannot be called a "one-novel writer" - all of her books, of which there are more than a dozen, have enjoyed considerable commercial success, allowing the author to shape her destiny according to her own desires without being held captive by circumstances. Colleen McCullough has stated in interviews that she does not aim to write "for the public" as she believes it would mean "selling herself." In 1981, she published "An Indecent Obsession" about a military hospital, followed by "The Ladies of Missalonghi" in 1987, which portrays women in a small Australian town, and in 2000, she released the novel "Morgan's Run." One of McCullough's latest novels, "The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet," was written in 2008.

In addition to writing books, McCullough also became a scriptwriter for her works. She participated in the production of the series "The Thorn Birds," which premiered in 1983, and in 1979, she personally adapted her first novel, "Tim," into a screenplay. Interestingly, McCullough also had a brief encounter with acting in the film "Popcorn People" in 2005, where she played a role in a large family setting. Currently, Colleen McCullough resides in Sydney. Despite her age and declining health, which brings her little joy, she continues to write.