Alison Croggon was born in Transvaal, (a province in South Africa), in 1962. She has written a number of novels, including a fantasy quartet called The Books of Pellinor and many others not connected to the series, including her newest novel Black Spring which is due to be released later this year. In the past she has worked as a play write and a poet, although her current occupation is as a writer. She now lives in Melbourne with her husband and three children.
Alison is extremely well known for her skills as a poet after becoming recognized in the 1990’s. Her first book of poems, This is the Stone, won the 1991 Anne Elder and Dame Mary Gilmore Prizes. These prizes are awarded annually for the best first book of poetry published in Australia, with the winner of the Anne Elder prize also receiving $1000.The Australian Book Review described her as one on the most powerful lyric poets writing today. Her poetry has been widely published in journals in both Australia and overseas. Since the 2000’s Alison has toured the US and UK at numerous poetry reading festivals.
Alison has to date written and performed nine works for theatre. Her theatre work includes the operas Gauguin, (at the Melbourne Festival in 2000), and The Burrow, (at the Perth, Sydney and Melbourne Festivals of 1994-95 and broadcast by ABC Radio), both with Michael Smetanin who is one of the most distinctive figures among Australian composers. The Burrow is a 'psychological profile' of Franz Kafka during his last minutes of life. Kafka was an influential German author of novels and short stories. Many critics and academics, regard Kafka as one of the best writers of the 20th Century. Alison also wrote lyrics for Confidentially Yours for composer Alan Johns. Many of her poems have been set to music by various composers, including Smetanin, Christine McCombe and Margaret Legge-Wilkinson and most recently Andreé Greenwell. Alison Croggon’s acclaimed fantasy series, The Books of Pellinor, has been steadily growing in
