Craig Silvey

Craig Silvey (born 1982) is an Australian novelist and musician.

Silvey grew up on an orchard in Dwellingup, a small town in the south-west of Western Australia. He currently lives in Fremantle.

Literary career

His debut novel, Rhubarb, was published by Fremantle Arts Centre Press in 2004. In 2005 Silvey was named as one of The Sydney Morning Herald's Best Young Novelists.Rhubarb was selected as the inaugural book for the 'One Book' series of events at the 2005 Perth International Arts Festival, and was included in the Australian national ‘Books Alive’ campaign. In 2007 Silvey authored a children's book entitled The World According to Warren, a picture book starring the guide-dog from Rhubarb, illustrated by Sonia Martinez and published by Fremantle Arts Centre Press.

In early 2008, Silvey completed his second novel Jasper Jones with the aid of an Australia Council New Work Grant. Jasper Jones was published in 2009 by Allen & Unwin Australia, Knopf Books in the United States (in 2011), Windmill Books in the United Kingdom, Seix Barral/Grupo Planeta in Spain, Neri Pozza/Giano Editore in Italy, Calmann-Lévy/Hachette in France and Rowohlt in Germany (2012). The novel was shortlisted for the 2011 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. It also won a Printz Honor award from YALSA, a division of the American Library Association, which was announced 23 January 2012 in Dallas, Texas.