Marion Halligan is one of Australia's most important writers, with a long list of literary prizes to her credit. She has been short-listed for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and the Miles Franklin Literary Award, and has been awarded the Age Book of the Year, the ACT Book of the Year (three times), the Nita B. Kibble Award, the Steele Rudd Award, the Braille Book of the Year, the 3M Talking Book of the Year and the Geraldine Pascall Prize for critical writing. She lives in Canberra and has an AM for services to literature.