Fun Facts Friday: Colleen McCullough

Colleen McCullough (1 June, 1937 – 29 January, 2015) was an Australian author known for her novels including The Thorn Birds.

Books by Colleen McCullough*

1. The author was born in Wellington, a region of New South Wales, to father of Irish origins and a mother who was part Māori .
2. The family moved around a lot during her childhood.
3. Even as a child, Ms. McCullough was known as a voracious reader.
4. McCullough occupation was that of a teacher, journalist, and librarian.
5. The author spent ten years researching and teaching at the Department of Neurology at the Yale Medical School in CT.
6. While at Yale she wrote her international best seller The Thorn Birds.
7. The Thorn Birds was turned into a very successful TV min-series in 1983.
8. She was awarded a Doctor of Letters degree from Macquarie University based on the depth of historical research into her novels on ancient Rome series, Masters of Rome.
9. The success of her books allowed Ms. McCullough moved back to Australia to “live on her own terms”.
10. In 1997 Colleen McCullough was named as a “living treasure” by the National Trust of Australia.

Books by Colleen McCullough*

Zohar — Man of la Book
*Ama­zon links point to an affil­i­ate account