Helen Garner is an acclaimed Australian author known for her fiction and nonfiction works. She has published several notable novels, including "Monkey Grip," "Cosmo Cosmolino," and "The Children's Bach," which have earned her numerous literary awards. Her nonfiction writing, such as "The First Stone" and "Joe Cinque's Consolation," has also garnered critical praise, and she received a Walkley Award for journalism in 1993. Garner's ability to capture human experiences with precision and depth has solidified her reputation as one of Australia's most respected writers.
Born in Geelong in 1942, Garner combines sharp observation with emotional intensity in her writing. Her work spans multiple genres, from novels and short stories to journalism and essays, often exploring themes of relationships, morality, and societal tensions. Critics have praised her keen eye for detail, her ear for authentic dialogue, and her ability to infuse humor and pathos into her narratives. In 2006, she was honored with the Melbourne Prize for Literature, further cementing her influence in Australian literature.
Garner continues to write and publish, with recent works including "True Stories," "My Hard Heart," and "The Feel of Stone." Her contributions to literature have been widely celebrated, with reviewers describing her prose as compelling and masterful. She resides in Melbourne, where she remains an active and influential voice in contemporary writing.
Standalone Novels
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Monkey Grip
1977
2
Moving Out (With: Jan Sardi, Jennifer Giles)
1983
3
The Children's Bach
1984
4
Cosmo Cosmolino
1992
5
The Spare Room
2008
Short Stories/Novellas
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Postcards from Surfers
1981
Non-Fiction Books
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
The First Stone
1995
2
True Stories
1996
3
The Feel Of Steel
2001
4
Joe Cinque's Consolation
2004
5
Consultation on Vulnerable Adults
2004
6
This House of Grief
2014
7
Everywhere I Look
2016
8
Yellow Notebook
2020
9
One Day I'll Remember This
2020
10
How to End a Story
2021
11
The Season
2024
Collections
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Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Honour and Other People's Children
1982
2
The Last Days of Chez Nous and Two Friends
1992
3
My Hard Heart
1998
4
Stories: The Collected Short Fiction
2017
Short Blacks Books (with John Birmingham, with David Malouf, with Simon Leys)
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Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Regions of Thick-Ribbed Ice
2001
2
Prosper: A Voyage at Sea (By: Simon Leys)
2015
3
The One Day (By: David Malouf)
2015
4
The Brave Ones ( By: John Birmingham)
2015
5
Cypherpunk Revolutionary: On Julian Assange (By: Robert Manne)
2015
Helen Garner Anthologies
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Sisters
1993
2
Reading from the Left
1995
3
The Best Australian Essays: A Ten-Year Collection
2011
4
Women of Letters: Reviving The Lost Art of Correspondence