Craig Silvey | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1982 (age 43–44) Australia |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Years active | 2004–2025 |
| Notable work | Jasper Jones |
Craig Silvey (born 1982) is an Australian novelist. Silvey has twice been named one of theBest Young Australian Novelists byThe Sydney Morning Herald and has been shortlisted for theInternational Dublin Literary Award. His 2009 second novel was selected by theAmerican Library Association asBest Fiction for Young Adults in their 2012 list,[1] and was made into the movieJasper Jones in 2017.
Silvey grew up in the south-west ofWestern Australia in a town calledDwellingup.[2] His father was anindustrial arts teacher, and his mother was ateacher-librarian.[3]
Educated at the Independent Pioneer Village School, Silvey describes the experience as unusual in that it is located inArmadale's Pioneer Village which is anopen-air museum "...in the style of an 1800s gold mining town with an old mine shaft".[3]
"It was certainly weird", says Silvey. "The girls had straw hats and big white socks, the boys had black cricket-style caps. Other than that it was standard private-school fare. The classes were small and the teachers great."[3]
After completing secondary education at the independentFrederick Irwin Anglican School inMandurah[3], he eschewed going to university and took on menial labouring and cleaning jobs to support his writing.[4]
Silvey published his first novel,Rhubarb, in 2004, after writing it when he was 19 years old.[5] This novel placed him onThe Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Australian Novelists list in 2005.[6]
Silvey's second novelJasper Jones was completed in early 2008 with the aid of anAustralia Council for the Arts New Work Grant. The novel was described as conforming "to the conventions of Australian Gothic, which projects contemporary experience onto … dysfunctional families in small, remote towns.... where young protagonists encounter violence or death, and where outsiders are punished for their difference".[7]Jasper Jones is Silvey's most successful novel, selling well (half a million copies), and having won or been shortlisted for several prominent literary awards.[4] Afilm adaptation of the novel, based on a screenplay written by Silvey and Shaun Grant, was released in 2017.[8][9][10] The film was directed byRachel Perkins and starsToni Collette,Levi Miller,Aaron McGrath, andAngourie Rice.[11]
In 2010, Silvey was once again named one ofThe Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Australian Novelists of the year.[12]
Silvey says of his literary influences that "I've always been attracted toSouthern Gothic fiction. There's something very warm and generous about those regional American writers likeTwain andLee andCapote, and it seemed to be a literary ilk that would lend itself well to the Australian condition."[13] Australian authors Silvey admires includeShaun Tan,Markus Zusak,Christos Tsiolkas,Tim Winton andGail Jones who he says "write such distinct, brave and beautiful books that simply render me awestruck".[14]
Runt, a film based on Silvey's novel of the same name, was released in September 2024.[15]
As of January 2026, Silvey lives inFremantle with his partner and three daughters.[16] He is a musician and, outside of writing novels, is a singer-songwriter who plays the electricukulele in The Nancy Sikes!, an indie band.[17]
On 12 January 2026, police executed a search warrant at Silvey's home, where he was allegedly found "actively engaging with...child exploitation offenders online".[18] He was arrested and charged with possessing and distributingchild exploitation material, and his electronic devices were seized. The prosecutor alleged that Silvey had expressed a sexual interest in children during an online conversation, that there was evidence he had provided images, and that he declined to allow investigators access to the devices.[16][19]
Silvey was granted bail in the Fremantle Magistrates Court, with restricted internet usage as a condition. Magistrate Thomas Hall stated that "imprisonment is a likely outcome", though Silvey has not been convicted as of yet and is due to reappear in court on 16 March.[20][21]
Following the charges, Silvey's publishersAllen & Unwin andFremantle Press announced they would cease promoting Silvey's works for the duration of legal processes.[22][23] Major Australian booksellersDymocks, Readings andQBD removed his books from sale on their websites. Dymocks chief executive David Allen said "we have made the decision to remove all of Craig Silvey’s titles from sale and from the shop floor".[24] All Australian state-education departments demanded or recommended that state schools remove his books from lessons whilst legal proceedings were underway.[25]Belvoir Theatre Company, who were working on a stage adaptation ofRunt formerly due to open in August 2026, announced they had "indefinitely paused work on, promotion of and sales for that production while these charges are dealt with by the police and the court".[26]
Rhubarb was selected as the inaugural book for the "One Book" series of events at the 2005Perth International Arts Festival, and was included in the Australian national "Books Alive" campaign.
Jasper Jones was shortlisted for the 2011International Dublin Literary Award.[30] The novel was shortlisted for theMichael L. Printz Award in 2012 by theAmerican Library Association.[31]
Honeybee won the Fiction prize at the 2021Indie Book Awards[32] and was shortlisted for the 2021 Literary fiction book of the year at theAustralian Book Industry Awards.[33]
Runt won the Book of the Year and the Children's prize at the 2023Indie Book Awards.[34] It also won the Children's book award at the 2023 BookPeople Book of the Year Awards[35] and the 2023 CBCAChildren's Book of the Year Award: Younger Readers.[36]Runt also won the 2024 Young Australian Best Book Award for Fiction for older readers.[37]
