Helen Garner was born in Geelong in 1942. She has been publishing novels, short stories, non-fiction and journalism since 1977 when her first novel, Monkey Grip, appeared.
Her most recent books are The First Stone, True Stories, My Hard Heart, The Feel of Steel and Joe Cinque's Consolation. She wrote the screen play for the movie 'The Last Days of Chez Nous'. She lives in Melbourne.
Winner - Melbourne Prize for Literature 2006