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Peter Corris

1942 – 2018

Australian writer

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About Peter Corris

Lived 1942 – 2018 (aged 76). Peter Corris was an Australian journalist, novelist and academic.

Peter Robert Corris (8 May 1942 – 30 August 2018) was an Australian academic, historian, journalist and a novelist of historical and crime fiction. As crime fiction writer, he was described as "the Godfather of contemporary Australian crime-writing", particularly for his Cliff Hardy novels. He was a Bachelor level student at the University of Melbourne, then gained a Master of Arts in history at Monash University.

He was married to writer Jean Bedford.

Peter Corris wrote a book, Sweet & Sour: A Diabetic Life (2000), that provided deep insights into his life living with type-1 diabetes. Some of his novels have diabetic subplots. In January 2017, Corris announced that he would no longer be writing novels owing to 'creeping blindness' because of his diabetes.

Awards and achievements Ned Kelly Awards for Crime Writing, Lifetime Achievement, 1999: winner Ned Kelly Awards for Crime Writing, Best Fiction, 2004: nominated for Master's Mates Ned Kelly Awards for Crime Writing, Best Fiction, 2006: shortlisted for Saving Billie Ned Kelly Awards for Crime Writing, Best Fiction, 2007: shortlisted for The Undertow Ned Kelly Awards for Crime Writing, Best Fiction, 2008: nominated for Appeal Denied Ned Kelly Awards for Crime Writing, Best Fiction, 2008: nominated for Open File Ned Kelly Awards for Crime Writing, Best Fiction, 2009: winner for Deep Water

Partial list of books

Cliff Hardy novels The Dying Trade (McGraw-Hill, 1980); White Meat (Sydney, Pan Books, 1981); The Marvellous Boy (Sydney, Pan Books, 1982); The Empty Beach (Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 1983); Heroin Annie and Other Cliff Hardy Stories (Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 1984); Make Me Rich (Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 1985); The Big Drop, and Other Cliff Hardy Stories (Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 1985); The Greenwich Apartments (Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 1986); Deal Me Out (Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 1986); The January Zone (Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 1987); Man in the Shadows : A Short Novel and Six Stories (Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 1988); O'Fear (Sydney, Bantam, 1990); Wet Graves (Sydney, Bantam, 1991); Aftershock (Sydney, Bantam, 1991); Beware of the Dog (Sydney, Bantam, 1992); Burn and Other Stories (Sydney, Bantam, 1993); Matrimonial Causes (Sydney, Bantam, 1993); Casino (Sydney, Bantam, 1994); The Washington Club (Sydney, Bantam, 1997); Forget Me If You Can: Cliff Hardy Stories (Sydney, Bantam, 1997); The Reward (Sydney, Bantam, 1997); The Black Prince (Sydney, Bantam, 1998); The Other Side of Sorrow (Sydney, Bantam, 1999); Lugarno (Sydney, Bantam, 2001); Salt and Blood (Sydney, Bantam, 2002); Master's Mates (Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 2003); The Coast Road (Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 2004); Taking Care of Business: Cliff Hardy Cases (Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 2004); Saving Billie (Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 2005); The Undertow (Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 2006); Appeal Denied (Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 2007); The Big Score: Cliff Hardy Cases (Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 2007); Open File (Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 2008); Deep Water (Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 2009); Torn Apart (Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 2010); Follow the Money (Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 2011); Comeback (Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 2012); The Dunbar Case (Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 2013); Silent Kill (Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 2014); Gun Control (Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 2015); That Empty Feeling (Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 2016); Win, Lose or Draw (Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 2017);

Ray Crawley novels Pokerface (Melbourne, Penguin, 1985); The Baltic Business (Melbourne, Penguin, 1988); The Kimberly Killing (Melbourne, Penguin, 1988); The Cargo Club (Melbourne, Penguin, 1990); The Azanian Action (Sydney, Angus & Robertson, 1991); The Japanese Job (Sydney, Angus & Robertson, 1992); The Time Trap (Sydney, HarperCollins, 1994); The Vietnam Volunteer (Lismore, NSW, Southern Cross University Press, 2000);

Richard Browning novels Box Office Browning (Melbourne, Viking, 1987); Beverly Hills Browning (Melbourne, Penguin, 1987); Browning Takes Off (Melbourne, Penguin, 1989); Browning in Buckskin (Melbourne, Penguin, 1991); Browning P.I. (Sydney, Angus & Robertson, 1992); Browning Battles On (Sydney, Angus & Robertson, 1993); Browning Sahib (Sydney, HarperCollins, 1994); Browning Without a Cause (Sydney, ETT Imprint, 1995);

Luke Dunlop novels Set Up (Sydney, Pan Macmillan, 1992); Cross Off (Sydney, Pan Macmillan, 1993); Get Even (Sydney, Pan Macmillan, 1994);

Other works Passage, Port and Plantation: A History of Solomon Islands Labour Migration, 1870-1914 (Melbourne, Melbourne University Press, 1973); Lords of the Ring (Sydney, Cassell Australia, 1980); Lightning Meets the West Wind: The Malaita Massacre, by Roger M. Keesing & Peter Corris (Melbourne, Oxford University Press, 1980); The National Times Australian Book of Quizzes, by Jean Bedford & Peter Corris (Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 1983); The Winning Side (Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 1984); The Australian Family Quiz Book (Sydney, Angus & Robertson, 1985); The Gulliver Fortune (Sydney, Bantam Books, 1989); Naismith's Dominion (Sydney, Bantam Books, 1990); Fred Hollows: An Autobiography, by Fred Hollows with Peter Corris (Melbourne, John Kerr, 1991); The Brothers Craft (Sydney, Bantam Books, 1992); Fighting for Fraser Island: A Man and an Island, by John Sinclair with Peter Corris (Sydney, Kerr Publishing, 1994); Wimmera Gold (Sydney, Bantam Books, 1994); A Round of Golf: 18 Holes with Peter Corris (Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 1998); Petro-Pirates: The Hijacking of the Petro Ranger, by Ken Blyth with Peter Corris (Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 2000); Sweet & Sour: A Diabetic Life (Lismore, NSW, Southern Cross University Press, 2000); The Journal of Fletcher Christian: Together with the History of Henry Corkill (Sydney, Random House Australia, 2005); Blood Brothers (Sydney, Lothian Books, 2007; Wishart's Quest (Melbourne, Arcadia, 2009); The Colonial Queen (Melbourne, Arcadia, 2011); Mad Dog: William Cyril Moxley and the Moorebank Killings (Sydney, University of New South Wales Press, 2011); Standing in the Shadow: Three Novellas (Melbourne, Arcadia, 2013); Damned If I Do, by Philip Nitschke with Peter Corris (Melbourne, Melbourne University Press, 2013);

Edited The Picador Book of Golf, edited by Peter Corris & Jamie Grant (Sydney, Picador, 1995); Ringside: A Knockout Collection of Fights & Fighters: The Winners, the Losers, the Legends, edited by Peter Corris & Barry Parish (Sydney, Random House Australia, 1996); Menace in the Mulga (Brisbane, Crime Writers Queensland, 2000); Heart Matters: Personal Stories About That Heart-Stopping Moment, edited by Peter Corris & Michael Wilding (Melbourne, Viking, 2010); Best on Ground: Great Writers on the Greatest Game, edited by Peter Corris & John Dale (Melbourne, Viking, 2010);

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
University of Melbourne, Monash University, Australian National University
Also known as
Peter Robert Corris, P. Corris, P.Corris, P Corris

People in Peter Corris's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Peter Corris's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Peter Corris?

Australian writer (1942–2018)

When was Peter Corris born?

Peter Corris was born on 8 May 1942 in Stawell.

When did Peter Corris die?

Peter Corris died on 30 August 2018 in Sydney.

What was Peter Corris's occupation?

Peter Corris was a journalist, novelist and academic.

What nationality was Peter Corris?

Peter Corris was Australian.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Peter Corris

· Wikidata: Q3376515

· DBpedia: Peter Corris

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Peter Corris. https://biography.guide/peter-corris/

MLA: "Peter Corris." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/peter-corris/.

Chicago: "Peter Corris." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/peter-corris/.

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