Peter Carey (novelist) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Peter Carey AO
Born	Peter Philip Carey (1943-05-07) 7 May 1943 (age 82) Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, Australia
Occupation	Novelist, creative writing teacher
Period	1974–present
Notable works	Oscar and Lucinda, True History of the Kelly Gang
Notable awards	Booker Prize 1988, 2001
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Peter Philip Carey is a famous Australian novelist, born on May 7, 1943. He is known for his amazing stories and has won many important awards.

Peter Carey is one of only five writers who have won the prestigious Booker Prize twice. This award is given to the best novel written in English and published in the UK or Ireland. He won his first Booker Prize in 1988 for his book Oscar and Lucinda. His second win was in 2001 for True History of the Kelly Gang.

He has also won the Miles Franklin Award three times, which is a top Australian literary prize. Many people even think he could win the Nobel Prize in Literature one day! Besides writing books, Peter Carey also helped write the movie Until the End of the World. He also taught creative writing at Hunter College in New York for many years.

Early Life and First Steps in Writing: 1943–1970

Peter Carey grew up in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, Australia. His parents owned a car dealership. He went to school in Bacchus Marsh and later to Geelong Grammar School.

In 1961, he started studying science at Monash University. However, he soon left university after a car accident and because he wasn't very interested in his studies. In 1962, Peter Carey began working in advertising. This job helped him meet other writers who introduced him to new books from Europe and America.

He started reading a lot and writing his own stories. He wrote five novels during this time, but none of them were published. He also wrote some short stories. Only two of his short pieces were published in the 1960s. Towards the end of the 1960s, Peter Carey moved to London, England, where he continued to work in advertising and write his own stories.

Becoming a Published Author: 1970–1990

Peter Carey returned to Australia in 1970 and continued working in advertising. He also kept writing short stories, which started to get published in magazines and newspapers. His first book, a collection of short stories called The Fat Man in History, was published in 1974.

In 1976, he moved to Queensland and joined a community there. He continued to work for his advertising agency in Sydney, traveling back and forth. During this time, he wrote many stories for his book War Crimes (1979). He also wrote his first published novel, Bliss, which came out in 1981.

In 1980, Peter Carey started his own advertising agency. In 1981, he moved to Bellingen in New South Wales. There, he wrote Illywhacker, published in 1985. He also married theatre director Alison Summers that same year. He even wrote a musical called Illusion, which was performed in 1986.

The 1980s ended with his book Oscar and Lucinda (1988). This book won the Booker Prize and made him famous around the world. Peter Carey said that living in Bellingen helped inspire this novel. He imagined a church from his town arriving by boat, like a dream, into the Australian landscape.

Living and Writing in New York: 1990–Present

In 1990, Peter Carey moved to New York City with his wife, Alison Summers, and their son. He started teaching creative writing at New York University. He later shared that moving to New York was his wife's idea, and it wasn't his first choice. Peter Carey and Alison Summers later divorced in 2005. He is now married to Frances Coady, a publisher from Britain.

His first book finished in the United States was The Tax Inspector (1991). He then wrote The Unusual Life of Tristan Smith (1994). This book explored the relationship between Australia and America in a fictional way. He has often thought about how these two countries relate to each other in his books.

Even though he lived in the US, Peter Carey mostly continued to set his stories in Australia. He felt that writing about Australia allowed him to see things more clearly and deeply. It was only after almost 20 years in the US that he wrote Parrot and Olivier in America (2010). This book was inspired by the life of Alexis de Tocqueville, a French writer who visited America in the 1800s. Peter Carey continues to write, with his novel The Chemistry of Tears (2012) connecting modern London with 19th-century Germany.

Awards and Special Honors

Peter Carey has received many awards and special honors for his writing. He has been given three honorary degrees from universities. He is also a member of important literary groups like the Royal Society of Literature and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

In 2010, his image appeared on two Australian postage stamps as part of a series honoring "Australian Legends." In 2012, he was named an Officer of the Order of Australia. This was for his great work in literature and for helping to share Australian identity around the world. In 2021, he was recognized by the Carnegie Corporation of New York as a "Great Immigrant."

Here are some of the many literary awards Peter Carey has won:

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards are annual awards that celebrate great achievements in Australian music.

See also

In Spanish: Peter Carey para niños