Bernard Cohen

Bernard Cohen (born 1963) is an Australian writer, the author of five novels, a book of short stories and a children's picture book.

Career

Cohen's first novel, Tourism, was published in 1992. The Blindman's Hat won the Australian/Vogel Literary Award in 1996. Cohen's fifth novel, The Antibiography of Robert F Menzies, won the inaugural Russell Prize for Humour Writing. Cohen's short stories have been widely anthologised, including in the Penguin Century of Australian Stories, Best Australian Stories 2002 and 2009 and Picador New Writing. His first collection of short stories, When I Saw the Animal (UQP), was published in 2018. From 1990 to 1991 he was co-editor of the literary journal Editions Review.

In 2006 Cohen founded The Writing Workshop, which runs creative writing programs for children in New South Wales, and online.

Awards

2015 Russell Prize for Humour Writing for The Antibiography of Robert F Menzies 1996 The Australian / Vogel Literary Award for The Blindman's Hat Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Australian novelist (3 times: 1996 [for Tourism], 1997 [for The Blindman's Hat], 1998 [for Snowdome] 2001 Arts Council England Writer's Award 1997 Alumnus of the Year University of Technology, Sydney 1986 Winner, Canberra Times Short Story of the Year (under 25 year-old category).