AustLit

John Clarke grew up in Palmerston North and received his secondary education at Scots College and Victoria University (both institutions being in Wellington, New Zealand). At university, Clarke studied English, philosophy, economics and law, and became involved in university revues. Following his studies Clarke worked for the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation before travelling to India, Greece and England.

Clarke has worked extensively as a humourist and satirist in New Zealand and Australia. His original character was 'Fred Dagg'. One hundred and fifty thousand 'Dagg' record albums were sold in New Zealand and, after his arrival in Australia, Clarke continued to use the character on ABC radio.

Clarke's radio contract was discontinued in 1981 but in the next few years he co-wrote and performed in ABC television series 'The Gillies Report' and 'The Fast Lane,' the movie 'Lonely Hearts' and the play 'A Royal Commission into the Australian Economy.'

In 1987 he was back on radio and in 1989 he began the weekly 'Great Interviews' series on Channel 9 television with colleague, Bryan Dawe. In 2000 they moved to the ABC's 7.30 Report. In 1998 and 2000 Clarke co-wrote and produced 'The Games', which featured Gina Riley, Bryan Dawe, Nicholas Bell and himself as organisers of the Olympics.

In addition to his work in the media, Clarke has published poetry, drama and The Tournament, a novel in which the modernist movement is arranged as a tennis championship.

The tongue-in-cheek 'biography' appearing in Clarke's Complete Book of Australian Verse includes the information that Clarke 'completed his Ph.D. at Leipzig in 1963. He was Professor of Comparative Relevance at Princeton until 1983, when he took up an appointment as Reader in Extremis at Melbourne University. Since 1988 he has alternated between the Dept. of Negative Gearing at the Bond University in Queensland ... and his research project in agrarian reform. He has several hobbies, about which he prefers not to give details.'

Further Reading: Professor Anne Pender's essay on John Clarke.