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Kirsty Murray Kirsty Murray i(A4949 works by) (birth name: Kirstin Doris Boyd)
Born: Established: 1960 Melbourne, Victoria, ;
Gender: Female
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BiographyHistory

From an early age Kirsty Murray loved listening to all types of stories in the school yard and elsewhere. Her father, the sculptor Guy Boyd was a natural storyteller and her mother, Phyllis, was a passionate reader. Murray has made her home in a number of countries including France, Wales and North America; her Australian home is in Melbourne. Murray writes children's fiction with a focus on Australian history.

After working in a number of other fields, including graphic arts, Murray enrolled in Professional Writing and Editing at RMIT. She subsequently began writing non-fiction for younger readers. She turned to writing fiction in 1999 and developed a particular focus on Australian historical fiction. A member of the famous Boyd family, Murray is the great granddaughter of artist Emma Minnie Boyd, great niece of writer Martin Boyd and artist Penleigh Boyd and niece of the artists Arthur and David Boyd.

In 2012, Murray joined Benjamin Law and three Indian writers in the Bookwallah, an initiative which took the five across India by train on a kind of travelling library that took them between literary festivals.

Most Referenced Works

Notes

  • Kirsty Murray is a Stella Prize Schools Program speaker.

Personal Awards

2018 nominated The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award
2017 nominated The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award
2016 recipient Australia Council Grants, Awards and Fellowships Australia Council Literature Board Grants Murray, Kirsty - Literature Development Grants Individuals and Groups $5,040.00

Awards for Works

y separately published work icon Strangers on Country Canberra : National Library of Australia , 2020 18447776 2020 single work biography

'Imagine you find a stranger on your favourite beach. They are pale, starving, desperate for shelter and speak a language you can't understand. Despite your fears, you treat them with kindness. You feed them and comfort them. They become like family to you and learn how to live on country. 

''Strangers on Country' describes the experiences of six Europeans who were taken in by Indigenous communities of eastern Australia between the 1820s and 1870s. The shipwreck survivors and runaway convicts stayed alive only through their hosts' generosity.  

'Too often Australian history is told only from a European perspective. Imagining events from both Indigenous Australian and European perspectives, the authors have brought to life remarkable true stories that inspire connection and understanding.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

2021 highly commended CBCA Book of the Year Awards Eve Pownall Award for Information Books
2021 CBCA Book of the Year Awards Notable Book Eve Pownall Award
y separately published work icon When Billy Was a Dog Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2019 15785178 2019 single work picture book children's

''Can I please, please, please have a dog?' asked Billy. 'Would you walk it every day and wash it if it got dirty?' 'I would, I promise!' said Billy. Billy wants a dog. He really really really wants one. Billy's parents aren't so sure. So one morning, Billy takes matters into his own paws.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

2020 shortlisted Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards Three to 5 Years
2020 honour book CBCA Book of the Year Awards Book of the Year: Early Childhood
2020 CBCA Book of the Year Awards Notable Book
y separately published work icon Puddle Hunters Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2018 13968088 2018 single work picture book children's

'When the rain stops it's time to go puddle hunting. Ruby and Banjo and Mum go up the street, and into the park, over the bridge and down to the river flats where the puddles lie waiting . . . Splosh it, Ruby! Splosh it, Banjo! Splosh it, Mum! A glorious celebration of splashing and squelching all the way home. This beautiful book captures the eternal delight of young children splashing about in puddles and experimenting with language.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

2018 shortlisted Western Australian Premier's Book Awards Premier's Prize for Writing for Children
Last amended 15 Oct 2018 10:53:54
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