Author Nicholas Jose was born in 1952, in London, to Australian parents. The following year his parents returned to Australia with him. He grew up in Broken Hill, Traralgon, Perth and mostly Adelaide, South Australia. He studied at the Australian National University, Canberra, and Magdalen College, Oxford. He has travelled extensively in Europe and Asia. From 1986 to 1990 he worked in Shanghai and Beijing where he was Cultural Counsellor at the Australian Embassy from 1987-1990. From 2002 to 2005 he was President of Sydney PEN. He has held the Chair of Creative Writing at the University of Adelaide since 2005. He is General Editor of the Macquarie PEN Anthology of Australian Literature.

His most recent book is a novel, Original Face (2005). Black Sheep:  Journey to Borroloola a memoir, appeared in 2002. Other books include the novels The Red Thread (2000), The Custodians (1997), The Rose Crossing (1994), Avenue of Eternal Peace (1989), Paper Nautilus (1987; new edition, 2006) and Rowena’s Field (1984), two collections of short stories, The Possession of Amber (1980) and Feathers or Lead (1986), and Chinese Whispers, Cultural Essays published in 1995.

His work has appeared in HEAT, London Review of Books, Australian’s Review of Books, Times Literary Supplement, Far Eastern Economic Review, Daedalus, PEN International, Meanjin, Australian Book Review, Art Asia Pacific, Orientations, Art Monthly, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian Way, The Australian Author, Postwest, Southerly and in many anthologies.

Nicholas Jose co-translated The Finish Line by Sang Ye (1994) and The Ape Herd by Mang Ke (included in Poems for the Millennium, 1998). He co-edited Picador New Writing 4 (1997). His play, Dead City, was performed at Belvoir Street Theatre and the Q Theatre, Penrith in 1994.  He acted as curatorial advisor to the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney on the exhibitions Mao Goes Pop (1993) and ARTTAIWAN (1995) and co-edited ARTTAIWAN (1995).   

Reviews

Black Sheep: Journey To Borroloola. (London: Profile; Melbourne: Hardie Grant,  2002 )

Reviewed by J.Marozzi, Financial Times,   21 Sept 2002; M.Tredinnick, Canberra Times, 21 Sept  2002; M.Stevenson, Launceston Examiner, 21 Sept  2002; A.Jones, Weekend Australian, 12-13 Oct  2002; K.Mahood, Australian Book Review, Oct 2002;  C.Spark, Sydney Morning Herald, 2-3 Nov 2002; S.Curtis,   Sunday Times, 12 Jan 2003; Mark Abley, Times Literary  Supplement, March 2003; H.A.Willis, West Australian , 19  April 2003; B .Elder, Sydney Morning Herald , 10-11  Jan 2004.

The Red Thread. (London: Faber; San Francisco: Chronicle; Melbourne: Hardie Grant, 2000)

Previewed by M. Arditti, Times, 12 August, 2000; J. Ettler, Observer, 13 August, 2000; J. Teo, Straits Times, 23 August, 2000; Publishers Weekly, 28 August, 2000; M. Sanderson, Time Out UK, 31 August, 2000; M. Carroll, Booklist, 15 Sept, 2000; M. Thompson-Noel, Financial Times, 17 Sept, 2000; A. Riemer, Age, 7 Oct, 2000; C. Brice, Advertiser, 7 Oct, 2000; G. Fulcher, Canberra Times, 14 Oct, 2000; L. Davison, Weekend Australian, 28-29 Oct, 2000; B. Winterton, Taipei Times, 30 August, 2000; L. Milazzo, Dallas Morning News, 8 Oct, 2000; P. Pierce, Bulletin, 7 Nov, 2000; F. L. Kong, Sydney Morning Herald, 11 Nov, 2000; D. Hall, Courier Mail, 18 Nov 2000; T. Deveson, Sunday Times, 20 Nov, 2000; P. Ryckmans, ARB, Dec.2000: 10, 27; E. Juers, ABR, 227, 41-46; A. Aitken, Art Asia-Pacific, 31 (2001): 96; N. Birns, Antipodes, June 2001: 50.

The Custodians. (Sydney: Macmillan; London: Picador; New York: St Martin’s Press)

Reviewed by T. Austen, West Australian, 27 December 1997; P. Baker, Guardian, 2 October 1997; C. Bantick, The Canberra Times, 12 July 1997; M. Butwell, Examiner, 20 Sept 1997; J. Chimonyo, Sunday Age, 27 July 7 1997; B. Dowling, Herald Sun, 26 July, 1997; K. England, Advertiser, 26 July 1997; M. Fraser, SMH 19 July: Spectrum 9s; H. Hild, Courier Mail, 9 August 1997; B. Hill, Age 20 Sept.: Saturday Extra 11; H. Jensen, TLS 3 Oct.: 21; L. Miller, The Daily Advertiser, 14 July, 1998, 16; Publishers Weekly, 17 November, 1997; R. Osborne, Northern Star, 20 Sept 1997; A. Riemer, ABR 192: 32-33; C. Storey, Independent on Sunday, R. Street, Weekend Australian 2-3 Aug.: Review 7; N. Valentine, Geelong Advertiser, 13 Sept 1997;G. Windsor, ARB 2.10 (Nov.): 20-21; P. Wolfe, Antipodes 12.2: 114-15.

Chinese Whispers: Cultural Essays. (Kent Town, SA: Wakefield, 1995).

Reviewed by C. Weng-Ho, ABR, 172, 1995, 6-7; J. Clarke, Eureka Street 6.1: 47-48; F.Giles, Antipodes 10.1: 69-70; A. Simoes Da Silva, Westerly 41.1: 131-33.

The Rose Crossing. (London: Hamish Hamilton, 1994).

Reviewed by A. Aitken, Southerly 56.1:196-207; A. Broinowski, The Asian Art Society of Australia Review; G. Clark, Courier Mail, 13 May, 1995; N. Clee, T.L.S., 6 January, 1995, 20; G. Coren, The Times, 9 February 1995; M. Davies, Northern Perspective 19.1: 171-73; D. Dowling, Australian-Canadian Studies 13.2 (1995): 132-35; S. Falkiner, Sydney Review, Jan/Feb 1995; A. Hardie, Far Eastern Economic Review; J.C. Hawley, Antipodes, 9.2, 1995, 155-56; J. Huxley, S.M.H. 12 November, 1994; H. Horton, Imago, 7.2, 1995, 99-100; S. Hughes, Sunday Age, 7 May, 1995, 10; P. Looker, Voices, 5.2, 1995, 121-24; H. McQueen, The Age, 17 December, 1994; P. Nelson, Weekend Australian, 24-25 December, 1994, Review 4; S. Patton, Island, 60-61, 1994, 48-51; N. Phelan, ABR, 165, 1994, 17-18; V. Sen, Canberra Times, 21 January, 1995; A. Stretton; Vogue Australia, November, 1995; D. Utterson, Literary Review, January 1995; J. Wilson, Westerly, 40.3, 1995, 89-92.

Avenue of Eternal Peace. (Ringwood, Vic.: Penguin, 1989).

Reviewed by A. Broinowski, S.M.H., 7 October, 1989, 81; D. Davison, Weekend Australian, 18-19 November, 1989, 8; P. Ellingsen, Age, 9 December 1989, Saturday Extra, 9; R. Gostand, Social Alternatives, 9.3, 1990, 66-67; J. McLaren, Overland, 116, 1989, 23; P. Salzman, ABR, 115, 1989, 7-8.

Paper Nautilus. (Ringwood, Vic.: Penguin, 1987).

Reviewed by H. Daniel, Age Saturday Extra, 15 August, 1987, 15; B. Garlick, Social Alternatives, 7.4, 1989, 63-64; P. Goldsworthy, The Adelaide Review, November 1987; J. Hanrahan, Overland, 111, 1988, 97-101; H. McQueen, S.M.H., 3 October, 1987, 46; D.M. Roskies, Antipodes, 2.2, 1988, 130-31; C. Thompson, ABR, 96, 1987, 26-27; C. van Langenberg, The Book Magazine, 1.3, 1987-88, 24.

Feathers or Lead: Short Fiction. (Ringwood, Vic.: Penguin, 1986).

Reviewed by D. English, Age Saturday Extra, 9 August, 1986, 12; T. Forshaw, Weekend Australian Magazine, 17-18 June, 1986, 17; R. Gostand, Social Alternatives, 6.3, 1987, 63-65; J.A. Mead, ABR, 84, 1986, 14-16.

Rowena's Field. (Adelaide: Rigby, 1984).

Reviewed by D. Anderson, National Times, 18-24 January, 1985, 33; L. Clancy, Age Saturday Extra, 23 March, 1985, 15; H. Daniel, ABR, 72, 1985, 26; S. Dowse, Island Magazine, 23, 1985, 59-60; H. McQueen, S.M.H., 2 February, 1985, 41; D. Parker, Quadrant, 29.3, 1985, 70-72.

The Possession of Amber. (St Lucia: UQP; 1980).

Reviewed by D.R. Burns, ABR, 27, 1980, 11-12; G. Dutton, Bulletin, 26 August, 1980, 72; T. Forshaw, S.M.H., 15 November, 1980, 21; N. Jillett, Age, 4 April, 1981, 28; R. Jones, Ash Magazine, 5, 1981, 33; C. Stead, Age, 13 December, 1980, 19; M. Vernon, Weekend Australian Magazine, 15-16 November, 1980, 18; E. Webby, Meanjin, 40, 1981, 200-08; G. Windsor, Quadrant, 25.6, 1981, 71-74.

Critical Material & Interviews

J. M. Q. Davies, "Multum in Parvo: intertexts and Yin yang symbolism in Nicholas Jose's The Rose Crossing", Australian Literary Studies in the 21st Century, ed. Philip Mead (ASAL, 2001), pp. 78-85.

Robert Beardwood, "The Cosmopolitan Pastoral: the paddock, the novel, and the nation", Australian Literary Studies in the 21st Century, ed. Philip Mead (ASAL, 2001), pp. 10-20.

Evelyn Juers, "Vanishing Points: An Essay on the Work of Nicholas Jose", Australian Book Review, Dec 2000/Jan 2001, no.227, pp. 41-46.

Delrez, Marc, "Cross-Cultural Patterns in the Work of Nicholas Jose",

Birns, Nicholas, "Country of the Future?", OzLit Editorial, 19 November 1997, home.vicnet.net.au/~ozlit

Daley, Mick, "The Big Issue", TNT UK, 735, pp. 40-41.

Steger, Jason, "Subject Matters", Sunday Age, 5 October 1997.

Siemienowicz, Rochelle, "Nicholas Jose", The Big Issue, 11-24 August 1997, pp. 28-29.

Rolfe, Patricia, The Bulletin, 29 July 1997.

Barrowclough, Nikki, "Landscape of Memory", The Good Weekend, 12 July 1997, pp.25-28.

Jacobs, Lyn. "Nicholas Jose: ‘Travellers among Mountains and Streams’", in Southwords: Essays on South Australian Writing, edited by Philip Butterss (Kent Town, SA: Wakefield P, 1995), 160-77.

"Nicholas Jose", Oxford Companion to Australian Literature, second edition, Melbourne, 1994.

Thanks to Martin Duwell and Australian Literary Studies at the University of Queensland for assistance with this bibliography.