Helen Garner

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
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
1 Postcards from Surfers 1981
Non-Fiction Books
# Title Year
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
# Title Year
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)
# Title Year
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
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 2011
5 My Mother, My Father: On Losing a Parent 2013
6 The Best Australian Essays 2014 2014
7 The Best Australian Essays 2015 2015
8 The Best Australian Essays 2016 2016
9 The Best Australian Essays 2017 2017