Murray Bail was born in Adelaide, South Australia on September 22, 1941 and graduated from Norwood Technical High School in his hometown. He currently lives in Sydney, Australia.
Bail took an exodus from Australia for quite some time in order to live abroad. During this time, he lived in India (1968 to 1970) and London, England (1970 to 1974) and several other exotic places, although one might argue that it doesn’t get any more exotic than Australia.
While living in London, Bail wrote for several newspapers, which may have encouraged him to publish the three novels that he currently has written Holden’s Performance, Homesickness, and Eucalyptus, upon returning home from this experience. One source I found stated that his book, Holden's Performance, "is an attempt to mythologize Australia like his earlier work, Homesickness." A trinity of novels about Australia, it seems. All of Bail’s other stories are of the short variety, however, and it seems to be what he is truly known for in Australia. Many websites made this distinction, but one specifically commented that, "Murray Bail is, with Peter Carey and Frank Moorhouse, one of the chief innovators in the tradition of the Australian short story and is especially associated with its revival in the early and mid-1970s."
And he is not just limited to words. He also paints and draws in his free time.
Bail has been the recipient of many authorship awards which include the Victorian Premier’s Award and the National Book Council Award in 1980 for Homesickness.
Similar to Stephen King's "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft," Bail has penned his own book titled, "Longhand: A Writer's Notebook" that provides readers "fascinating insights into his own artistic practice."
Occupation: Author, artist
Hobbies: Painting, reading, and writing
Hometown: Adelaide, South Australia
Places I've Lived: Australia, India, England
