Peter Carey

Author profile

born

in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, Australia

May 07, 1943

gender

male

website

http://petercareybooks.com/

genre

Literature & Fiction

About this author

edit data

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Peter Carey was born in Australia in 1943.

He was educated at the local state school until the age of eleven and then became a boarder at Geelong Grammar School. He was a student there between 1954 and 1960 — after Rupert Murdoch had graduated and before Prince Charles arrived.

In 1961 he studied science for a single unsuccessful year at Monash University. He was then employed by an advertising agency where he began to receive his literary education, meeting Faulkner, Joyce, Kerouac and other writers he had previously been unaware of. He was nineteen.

For the next thirteen years he wrote fiction at night and weekends,...more Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Peter Carey was born in Australia in 1943.

He was educated at the local state school until the age of eleven and then became a boarder at Geelong Grammar School. He was a student there between 1954 and 1960 — after Rupert Murdoch had graduated and before Prince Charles arrived.

In 1961 he studied science for a single unsuccessful year at Monash University. He was then employed by an advertising agency where he began to receive his literary education, meeting Faulkner, Joyce, Kerouac and other writers he had previously been unaware of. He was nineteen.

For the next thirteen years he wrote fiction at night and weekends, working in many advertising agencies in Melbourne, London and Sydney.

After four novels had been written and rejected The Fat Man in History — a short story collection — was published in 1974. This slim book made him an overnight success.

From 1976 Carey worked one week a month for Grey Advertising, then, in 1981 he established a small business where his generous partner required him to work only two afternoons a week. Thus between 1976 and 1990, he was able to pursue literature obsessively. It was during this period that he wrote War Crimes, Bliss, Illywhacker, Oscar and Lucinda. Illywhacker was short listed for the Booker Prize. Oscar and Lucinda won it. Uncomfortable with this success he began work on The Tax Inspector.

In 1990 he moved to New York where he completed The Tax Inspector. He taught at NYU one night a week. Later he would have similar jobs at Princeton, The New School and Barnard College. During these years he wrote The Unusual Life of Tristan Smith, Jack Maggs, and True History of the Kelly Gang for which he won his second Booker Prize.

He collaborated on the screenplay of the film Until the End of the World with Wim Wenders.

In 2003 he joined Hunter College as the Director of the MFA Program in Creative Writing. In the years since he has written My Life as a Fake, Theft, His Illegal Self and Parrot and Oliver in America (shortlisted for 2010 Man Booker Prize).
(less)

2 posts
Peter Carey's Blog

Peter Carey isn't a Goodreads Author (yet), but he does have a blog, so here are some recent posts imported from his feed.

'Robert Hughes was Australia's Dante,' says his friend Peter Carey

Robert Hughes wasn't just a great art critic. He was one of the finest writers Australia has ever produced – the man who told his countrymen who they were. He also carved a mean leg of lamb

In London, he might be happy to seem the descendant of an Irish policeman, but in Sydney we all knew he had grown up ina fancy house in Cranbrook Road, Rose Bay. We knew his grandfather and great uncles were...

combine editions
Peter Carey's Books

Average rating: 3.58 · 33,151 ratings · 3,274 reviews · 37 distinct works · Similar authors

	Oscar and Lucinda 3.7 of 5 stars 3.70 avg rating — 8,538 ratings — published 1988 — 36 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	True History of the Kelly Gang 3.78 of 5 stars 3.78 avg rating — 7,491 ratings — published 2000 — 42 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Parrot and Olivier in America 3.41 of 5 stars 3.41 avg rating — 3,778 ratings — published 2009 — 33 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Jack Maggs 3.64 of 5 stars 3.64 avg rating — 1,726 ratings — published 1997 — 23 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Theft: A Love Story 3.39 of 5 stars 3.39 avg rating — 1,710 ratings — published 2006 — 27 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	My Life as a Fake 3.33 of 5 stars 3.33 avg rating — 1,660 ratings — published 2003 — 34 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	His Illegal Self 3.19 of 5 stars 3.19 avg rating — 1,358 ratings — published 2008 — 34 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Bliss 3.74 of 5 stars 3.74 avg rating — 1,212 ratings — published 1981 — 14 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Chemistry of Tears 3.02 of 5 stars 3.02 avg rating — 1,482 ratings — published 2012 — 22 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Illywhacker 3.73 of 5 stars 3.73 avg rating — 1,152 ratings — published 1985 — 18 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Peter Carey…

Series by Peter Carey

O Escritor e a Cidade (1 book)
by Peter Carey, Colin Dickerman (Editor)
3.431578947368421 of 5 stars 3.43 avg rating — 190 ratings

Upcoming Events

No scheduled events. Add an event.

Interviews

April 2012, Peter Carey
"Journey into the storied Black Forest with Carey's latest work, The Chemistry of Tears, about a grieving museum expert and the 19th-century automaton she must revive." ...More

more interviews »

Quotes by Peter Carey

“To know you will be lonely is not the same as being lonely.”
― Peter Carey, Oscar and Lucinda

tags: australia, fiction

20 people liked it

“You could not tell a story like this. A story like this you could only feel.”
― Peter Carey, Oscar and Lucinda

15 people liked it

“People do not love those whose eyes show that they are somewhere else”
― Peter Carey, Collected Stories

8 people liked it

See all Peter Carey's quotes »

Polls

Which Australian book do you want to read in August?

True History of the Kelly Gang A Novel, by Peter Carey

10 votes, 55.6%

Cloudstreet A Novel, by Tim Winton

4 votes, 22.2%

Temple, by Matthew Reilly

3 votes, 16.7%

Aboriginal Stories With Word List English--Aboriginal, Aboriginal--English, by A. W. Reed

1 vote, 5.6%

18 total votes

comments and details

More...

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
The Next Best Boo...: OFFICIAL SPRING CHALLENGE - 2009	6462	8063	Jun 14, 2009 02:57pm
The Seasonal Read...: Spring Challenge 2010 Completed Tasks	2748	2247	May 31, 2010 09:00pm
Bookmarks Subscri...: Aug/Sept 2010 Group Reads	8	42	Jul 18, 2010 07:40am
Goodreads Malaysia: Senarai Panjang Hadiah Booker 2010	8	32	Aug 01, 2010 09:58pm
The Seasonal Read...: 20.7 - I Like Big Books And I Cannot Lie - Dionisia's Task - For Those We Love To Hate	105	233	Aug 16, 2010 08:48am
The Seasonal Read...: 15.4 - Learn Your Numbers	138	319	Aug 19, 2010 10:47pm
The Seasonal Read...: Summer Challenge 2010 Completed Tasks (do NOT delete any posts in this thread)	3072	2929	Aug 31, 2010 10:39pm
The Seasonal Read...: Summer 2010 'Style' Completed Tasks	622	467	Sep 01, 2010 06:16am

More…

Is this you? Let us know. If not, help out and invite Peter to Goodreads.

Add New
Videos

Peter's Fans (249)

Peter Carey

Author profile

2 posts
Peter Carey's Blog

combine editions
Peter Carey's Books

Series by Peter Carey

Upcoming Events

Interviews

Quotes by Peter Carey

Polls

Topics Mentioning This Author

Add NewVideos

Peter's Fans (249)

Peter Carey

Author profile

2 postsPeter Carey's Blog

combine editionsPeter Carey's Books

Series by Peter Carey

Upcoming Events

Interviews

Quotes by Peter Carey

Polls

Topics Mentioning This Author

Add New
Videos

2 posts
Peter Carey's Blog

combine editions
Peter Carey's Books